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ILUNOIS  HISTORY  SURVEY 
LIBRARY 


HANDBOOK    FOR    TRANSLATORS 

O  F 

SPANISH    HISTORICAL    DOCUMENTS 


By 

J.  VILLAS  AN  A  HAGGARD 

Translator  of  the  Spanish  Archives  of  Texas 

The  University  of  Texas 

Assisted  by 

MALCOLM  DALLAS  McLEAN 

Archivist,  The  San  Jacinto  Museum  of  History 


^ 


ARCHrvES  Collections  The  University  of  Texas 

1941 


Photoprinted  by  Semco  Color  Press,  Oklahoma  City 


Copyright  i^^i   ^V 
The  University  of  Texas 

Austin,  Texas 


/z^^.^        ACKNOWLEDGMENT  -^Y 

The  present  study  on  the  transcription  and  translation 
of  Spanish  historical  documents  is  the  result  of  the  coop- 
erative effort  of  a  numher  of  interested  persons  over  a 
period  of  several  years. 

Mr.  Malcolm  Dallas  McLean  compiled  about  one  third  of 
the  words  and  phrases  in  sections  1  and  2,  and  alphabetiz- 
ed the  abbreviations  in  section  3,  Chapter  IV.   He  formu- 
lated some  of  the  rules  for  transcription  now  in  use  in 
the  Archives  Collections;  and  he  transcribed  and  transla- 
ted the  first  four  documents  in  Appendix  A. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  list  of  monetary  terms,  inval- 
uable advice  was  received  from  Professor  E.  T.  Miller,  The 
University  of  Texas,  Professor  N.  S.  B.  Oras ,  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, and  Professor  Allan  Evans,  Pasadena,  California. 
I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  H.  J.  Leon,  The  University  of  Texas, 
for  the  transcription  of  certain  Latin  specimens  of  hand- 
writing. 

Dr.  E.  R.  Sims,  of  the  Department  of  Romance  Languages 
in  The  University  of  Texas,  read  the  manuscript  and  offer- 
ed valxiable  criticism.   He  suggested  the  preparation  of 
lists  of  weights  and  measures  with  United  States  equiva- 
lents, as  well  as  the  addition  of  several  words  and  phra- 
ses with  their  translation. 

Mrs.  Annie  Mae  Brooks,  formerly  Spanish  Translator  of 
the  General  Land  Office  of  Texas,  Austin,  Texas,  read  the 
manuscript  and  made  many  suggestions,  particularly  with 
regard  to  legal  words  and  the  length  of  the  Texas  vara. 

I  am  grateful  to  Mr.  W.  R.  Hogan,  Assistant  Archivist, 
Louisiana  State  University,  for  his  encouragement.   He  was 
also  instrumental  in  its  publication. 
Y'  Mr.  Donald  Coney,  Librarian,  The  University  of  Texas, 
^  has  been  interested  in  the  publication  of  this  study  since 
^  the  first  typed  version  of  it  was  complete  in  the  spring 
■V  of  1937.   His  interest  in  this  work  has  been  of  immense 

aid  in  its  completion. 
->   Individually  and  collectively,  the  members  of  the  Execu- 
:•'  tive  Council  of  the  Institute  of  Latin-American  Studies — 

Dr.  C.  W.  Hackett,  Chairman,  Mr.  Donald  Coney,  Dr.  G.  C.  M. 
-•,  Engerrand,  Dr.  J.  L.  Mecham,  Dr.  G.  I.  Sdnchez,  and  Dr. 
Oil  J.  R.  Spell — deserve  my  deepest  gratitude  for  supplying 
,;^the  funds  necessary  to  make  this  publication  possible. 

July,  1941  J.  Villasana  Haggard, 

ii    Austin,  Texas. 


C_-  ;?<„(__ 


SPECIAL  MOTE 

The  Hand"book  for  Translators  of  Spanl sh  Historical  Docu- 
ments is  merely  an  experiment.   It  is  an  attempt  to  supply 
an  urgent  need  for  a  tool  of  this  nature  that  will  make 
easier  the  arduous  work  of  translating  and  transcribing 
Spanish  historical  documents.  No  claim  of  finality  on  any 
phase  of  the  work  is  being  advanced.   On  the  contrary,  re- 
alizing that  an  experiment  of  this  nature  is  perfected 
only  in  actvial  practice,  and  in  the  hope  that  actual  use 
of  the  Handbook  will  suggest  constructive  revision,  this 
work  is  being  reproduced  by  the  planograph  method  rather 
than  by  printing.   Consequently,  in  view  of  the  great  ben- 
efits that  will  accrue  to  the  field  of  research  in  history, 
translation,  and  transcription,  it  is  hoped  that  users  of 
this  manvial  will  be  kind  enough  to  address  any  criticism 
or  suggestion  for  revision  directly  to  the  author  in  or- 
der that  such  improvements  as  are  received  prior  to  1945 
may  be  incorporated  in  the  final  copy  to  be  printed  at 
that  time. 

University  of  Texas, 

April,  1941.  J.  Tlllasana  Haggard 


Hi 


INTRODUCTION 


The  need  for  a  guide  in  the  translation  of  Spanish  his- 
torical documents  is  not  new.   Ten  years  ago  this  need  was 
"brought  forcefully  to  my  attention  when  the  task  of  trans- 
lating a  series  of  such  documents  was  thrust  upon  me.  Al- 
though of  bilingual  aptitude,  and  familiar,  through  spe- 
cialized study  of  both  English  and  Spanish,  with  the  in- 
tricacies of  these  languages,  I  was  terrified  hy  the  appar- 
ently \inintelligi'ble  aspect  of  the  ancient  manuscripts  set 
"before  me.   To  "begin  with,  the  handwriting  was  utterly  un- 
familiar, "barely  visi"ble,  and  altogether  vminviting.   The 
length  of  the  sentences,  the  a'bsence  of  punctuation,  and 
the  involved  nature  of  the  thought  made  it  almost  impossi- 
ble for  me  to  grasp  the  idea  in  the  mind  of  the  writer.  A 
New  Chaucerian  manuscript  would  have  been  as  welcome.   In 
an  effort  to  find  some  tangible  aid  to  this  type  of  work, 
I  searched  library  catalogues  thoroughly.   To  my  dismay, 
not  one  title  was  to  be  foxind  on  the  subject  of  translating 
Spanish  historical  documents;  in  fact,  I  found  nothing  on 
the  translation  of  any  kind  of  historical  document.   It  is 
true  there  were  dictionaries  of  technical  terms,  provincial- 
isms, and  idioms;  but  nothing  specific  to  meet  my  need.  A 
search  for  aids  to  the  reading  of  manuscripts  was  slightly 
more  successful.  A  few  items  on  Spanish  and  French  paleog- 
raphy were  available.  Even  these  works,  however,  proved 
too  indefinite  to  be  of  any  practical  value.   From  them  I 
learned  that  one  can  easily  learn  to  read  manuscripts  by 
reading  more  of  them. 

Books  on  translating  now  on  the  market  make  no  distinc- 
tion between  literary  and  historical  documents.   Tolman  in 
The  Art  of  Translating  deals  with  translating  in  general 
briefly  and  thoroughly.  He  fails,  however,  to  give  any 
definite  recognition  to  historical  documents.   This  and 
other  excellent  works  on  translating  have  taken  the  atti- 
tude that  euay  discussion  on  the  topic  nat\irally  includes 
all  forms;  and,  consequently,  they  have  ignored  the  spe- 
cific subject  of  translating  historical  documents.   It  is 
true  that  certain  general  principles  may  be  applied  to  any 
type  of  tra!nslation;  but  there  are  certain  differences 
that  must  be  taken  into  account.   The  failure  to  recognize 
the  existence  of  these  differences  is  the  principal  cause 
for  the  lack  of  any  guide  to  this  important  phase  of  archi- 
val work.   I  have  tried  to  make  clear  in  this  work  that 
translating  historical  documents  is  a  definite  subject  in 

iv 


INTRODUCTION 


itself  and  separate  from  all  other  forms  of  translating. 
Specifically,  this  study  deals  with  the  translation  of 
Spanish  historical  documents.   It  is  my  object  herein  to 
supply  translators  of  Spanish  historical  documents  with 
such  aids  as  may  prevent  needless  errors.   The  most  common 
errors  in  translating  manuscripts  are  due  to  the  failure 
of  the  translator  tc  read  the  involved  original  correctly. 
Failure  to  disting'Jiish  simple  letters  is  another  source  of 
errors. 

Another  primary  object  in  the  preparation  of  this  guide 
is  to  standardize  the  translation  and  transcription  of 
Spanish  historical  documents.   There  are  certain  general 
principles  which  may  "be  observed  in  the  rendition  of  ac- 
curate and  readable  translations.   It  is,  of  course,  ob- 
viously impossible  to  set  down  any  set  of  fast  rules  inas- 
much as  the  translation  of  any  type  of  document  is  a  per- 
sonal matter;  that  is,  its  value  depends  upon  the  point  of 
view  and  ability  of  the  translator.   Nevertheless,  the  vo- 
cabulary and  phraseology  can  safely  be  standardized.   The 
form  for  the  transcription  of  documents  can  be  standard- 
ized.  In  fact,  standardization  of  transcription  form, 
which  is  discussed  at  length  in  this  study,  applies  not 
only  to  Spanish  historical  documents  but  to  all  historical 
doc^uments. 

The  transcription  of  documents  assumes  considerable  im- 
portance when  we  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that 
there  are  certain  fragile  documents  which  require  trans- 
cription to  prevent  total  mutilation  by  constant  handling. 
Becaiise  of  the  localized  or  specialized  value  of  certain 
documents  that  may  be  translated,  it  is  often  inexpedient 
to  have  such  translations  printed.   Most  depositories  of 
documents  will  naturally  desire  to  have  these  translations 
filed  in  transcript  form.   Standardization  in  this  phase 
of  archival  work  would  facilitate  research;  and  the  desir- 
ability of  standardization  of  the  form  of  transcription 
throughout  the  country  can  not  be  over-emphasized. 

This'  study  is  the  result  of  actual  translation  of  Span- 
ish historical  documents  over  a  period  of  ten  years.  Hav- 
ing failed  to  find  any  tangible  aid  to  the  translation  of 
documents,  I  commenced  to  take  notes  on  various  phases  of 
the  work  from  the  first  time  a  set  of  these  documents  was 
placed  before  me  for  translation.  The  work  of  collecting 
vocabulary  and  studying  phraseology  was  slow  and  tedious. 
The  work  was  facilitated,  however,  by  the  fact  that  I  had 
access  to  several  collections  of  original  Spanish  manu- 
scripts and  printed  documents  ranging  in  date  and  form 


INTRODUCTION 


from  manuscript  letters  written  "by  Cortez  to  printed  orders 
of  the  Mexican  government  during  the  war  with  the  United 
States.   In  subject  matter  my  source  materials  naturally  in- 
cluded every  type  of  document  from  personal  letters  written 
"by  civilians  in  the  frontier  provinces  of  New  Spain  to 
royal  decrees  written  in  Spain.   Official  documents  such  as 
communications  exchanged  between  officers  and  subordinates, 
governors  and  settlers,  bishops  and  missionaries,  reports 
of  trials,  investigations,  reports,  diaries  and  other  forms 
of  records  have  been  read  and  translated  during  the  course 
of  my  work.  Accounts  of  Indian  raids,  reports  of  reconnoi- 
tering  parties ,  muster  rolls,  treasury  reports,  expedientes , 
land  grants,  and  commercial  papers  are  to  be  included  among 
the  mi  seel lame ous  matter  falling  within  the  range  of  my  in- 
vestigation.  The  chief  source  material  for  this  study  has 
been  the  collection  known  as  the  Spanish  Archives  of  Texas 
in  the  Archives  collections  of  The  University  of  Texas  Li- 
brary.  This  collection  consists  of  205,500  pages  of  orig-^ 
inal  Spanish  manuscripts  and  printed  documents  ranging  in 
date  from  1717  to  1836.   In  addition  to  this  large  collec- 
tion, manuscripts  have  been  examined  from  the  Latin-American 
collections  of  The  University  of  Texas,  some  of  which  date 
from  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Photostatic  cop- 
ies of  the  Saltillo  and  the  Matamoros  Archives,  and  the  im- 
mense collections  of  transcripts  of  documents  from  archives 
in  Spain  and  Mexico  at  The  University  of  Texas,  have  been 
examined.   I  have  also  examined  county,  church,  and  pri- 
vate collections  in  various  parts  of  Texas,  Louisiana,  and 
New  Mexico.   Several  thousand  feet  of  microfilm  copies  of 
manuscripts  from  different  depositories  in  Washington,  D.C. , 
have  been  made  available  to  me  for  examination. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Pages 

Acknowledgment ii 

Introduction iv-vi 

Chapter  I:   Theory 1-7 

Chapter  II:  Paleography 8-21 

Chapter  III:  Procedure  in  Translation 22-35 

Chapter  IV:   Special  Aids  36-108 

1.  Standardized  Expressions  36-43 

a.  Stock  Spanish  Words,  with  their 

English  Equivalents 37-41 

b.  Stock  Spanish  Phrases,  with  their 

English  Equivalents 42-43 

2.  Expressions  with  Special  Meaning 43-47 

3.  Abbreviations 47-67 

a.  Classification  of  Abbreviations  .  .  .   47-48 

b.  List  of  Abbreviations  Used  in 

Spanish  Historical  Documents.  .  .  .  48-67 

4.  Weights  and  Measures 68-87 

5.  Monetary  Terms 87-108 

Chapter  V:   Transcription 109-122 

Appendix  A:  Docvunents,  Transcription,  and 

Translation 123-153 

Appendix  B:   Specimens  of  Handwriting 154-167 

Appendix  C:   Lists  of  Manuscript  Alphabet,  12th 

19th  Centuries 168-177 

Bibliography 179-198 


vii 


CHAPTER 
THEORY 


An  eminent  scholar  has  asserted  that  translation  "is  not 
rendering  the  words  of  a  foreign  language  into  English,  but 
it  is  the  metamorphosis  of  the  feeling,  the  life,  the  power, 
the  spirit  of  the  original."  He  adds:   "In  other  words, — 
emd  I  put  them  in  italics  for  their  emphasis, — Translation 
is  arousing  in  the  English  reader  or  hearer  the  identical 
emotions  and  sentiments  that  were  aroused  in  him  who  read 
or  heard  the  sentence  as  his  native  tongue. "^  This  defin- 
ition sets  a  high  ideal  in  translation  which,  unforttmate- 
ly,  is  seldom,  if  ever,  attained.   Tor,  we  ask  with  Post- 
gate,^  Who  is  to  be  the  judge  as  to  whether  or  not  identi- 
cal emotions  and  sentiments  are  aroused  in  an  American 
reader  today  that  were  aroused  in  a  French  or  Spanish  read- 
er at  a  distant  date  in  the  past?  Nevertheless,  it  is  an 
ideal  worthy  of  the  intense  effort  of  every  good  transla- 
tor.  It  is  our  belief  that  such  a  goal  can  be  most  close- 
ly approached  when  one  undertakes  his  work  with  the  assump- 
tion that  tremslation  is  the  art  of  rendering  the  idea  ex- 
pressed in  one  language  into  another  language  in  an  accur- 
ate and  readable  manner.   There  are,  however,  a  thousand 
and  one  obstacles  to  be  hurdled  even  in  this  approach  to 
the  ideal. 

One  must  not  mistake  verbatim  translations,  paraphrases, 
imitations,  parodies,  or  any  other  thinly  veiled  approxi- 
mation for  the  serious  work  of  translation.  A  verbatim 
version  of  an  original  cannot  properly  be  called  a  trans- 
lation, for  a  translation'  should  be  first  and  foremost  a 
faithful  rendition  of  the  substance  as  well  as  the  form  of 
the  original.   "To  translate  not  so  much  the  words  as  their 
meaning,  to  observe  not  merely  the  obvious  English  idioms 
of  syntax,  but  the  more  evasive  but  eq\ially  important  ones 
of  stress,  word-order,  and  balance,  and  to  create  an  atmos- 
phere of  associations  in  some  sense  akin  to  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  original. "3  Nor  is  the  transfer  of  meaning 
from  one  form  of  speech  to  another  alone  to  be  considered 
as  translation.  Paraphrasing  an  original  is  not  transla- 

^Herbert  Gushing  Tolman,  The  Art  of  Translating,  p.  22. 
^J.  P.  Postgate,  Translation  and  Translations ,  p.  19. 
^E.  Stuart  Bates,  Modern  Translation,  quoting  J.M.Edmonds, 
p.  106.  _i_ 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


tion,  for,  although  a  paraphrase  may  'he   rendered  in  an  ac- 
curate and  readable  manner,  only  part  of  the  original  idea 
is  transferred;  in  that  respect,  a  paraphrase  may  he  said 
to  "be  inaccurate.   In  a  so-called  "free"  translation,  the 
spirit  of  the  original  is  carefully  rendered,  hut  no 
thought  is  given  to  the  word.   An  imitation  of  an  original 
goes  one  step  farther  than  a  paraphrase;  it  uses  the  orig- 
inal merely  as  a  model.  A  parody  may  translate  an  origin- 
al, but  it  is  duty  bound  to  give  the  original  a  burlesque 
twist.   An  adaptation  seeks  to  transplant  an  idea  rather 
than  to  translate  it. 

In  general,  one  may  say  that,  regardless  of  the  use  to 
be  made  of  a  translation,  the  basic  purpose  of  it  is  to 
transfer  the  meaning  of  the  original  from  one  lang\iage  in- 
to another  so  that  the  reader  or  hearer  not  sufficiently 
familiar  with  the  language  of  the  original  may  be  able  to 
\inderstand  it.   In  pursiiance  of  this  basic  purpose,  there- 
fore, it  is  obvious  that  translations  should  be  rendered 
in  language  contemporary  with  the  reader  or  hearer;  only 
in  special  cases,  such  as  etymological  studies  or  studies 
of  literary  form,  should  the  language  of  the  original  be 
translated  into  language  contemporary  to  it.   Furthermore, 
it  is  well  known  that  a  translation  commences  to  roll  down 
the  hill  of  obsolescence  from  the  moment  it  is  completed, 
although  the  process  is  often  extremely  gradual.   For  this 
reason,  ajid  with  the  intention  of  aiding  the  reader  in  \in- 
derstanding  the  original  by  modernizing  the  language,  the 
same  literary  masterpiece  may  be  translated  into  English 
at  different  times,  as  witness  translations  of  Dante's 
Divine  Comedy.   Lack  of  fidelity  to  substance,  and  not 
necessarily  lack  of  faithfulness  to  form,  is  the  main  rea- 
son for  the  rapid  deterioration  of  translations. 

Translations  may  be  said  to  be  prospective  or  retrospec- 
tive.  In  a  prospective  translation,  the  translator  is 
chiefly  concerned  with  the  reader;  in  a  retrospective 
translation,  attention  is  centered  on  the  author.   In  ret- 
rospective translation,  the  translator  serves  merely  as  a 
transmitter;  while  in  prospective  translation,  the  trans- 
lator "by  a  touch  here,  a  turn  there,  and  a  twist  somewhere 
else,  makes  it  his  care  that  his  reader's  prepossessions 
shall  not  be  shocked  nor  his  sense  of  probability  dis- 
turbed."'^ 


'^J.  P.  Postgate,  I"bid.  ,  pp.  18-19. 

-2- 


THEORY 


The  translator,  who  has  often  deservedly  been  called  a 
tradittore,  or  traitor,^  should  "be  thoroughly  familiar 
with  his  own  language  and  he  should  also  he  familiar  with 
the  leuaguage  from  which  he  intends  to  make  translations. 
It  is  not  necessary  for  him  to  he  a  "master"  of  "both  lan- 
guages; in  fact,  one  can  hardly  he  master  of  his  own  lan- 
guage.  Nevertheless,  he  should  have  such  knowledge  of  the 
structure  and  idiomatic  expression  of  both  languages  as 
would  enable  him  to  render  the  substance  of  the  original 
in  an  accurate  and  readable  manner.   Strictly  speaking,  a 
translator  who  devotes  his  time  to  scientific  work  should 
be  a  scientist;  the  translator  of  philosophy  should  be  a 
philosopher;  poetry  should  be  translated  by  a  poet;  his- 
tory by  a  historian.   These  ideal  conditions,  however,  are 
seldom  attained.   Naturally,  the  greater  familiarity  the 
translator  has  with  his  subject,  the  better  his  transla- 
tion will  be.  Along  with  a  knowledge  of  the  language  and 
subject,  the  translator  should  be  familiar  with  conditions 
that  obtained  in  the  country  or  district  at  the  time  the 
original  was  written.   Such  familiarity  is  acquired  through 
serious  study,  or,  where  possible,  by  visiting  the  country 
or  district  lander  consideration.  We  must  note  that  such 
information  is  not  acquired  by  a  frivolous  and  superficial 
study  of  conditions  or  topography  as  is  often  obtained  by 
enthusiastic  young  writers  and  translators  on  a  brief  tour 
of  night  clubs  and  Indian  villages  in  South  or  Central 
America.   Doubtless  we  are  acquainted  with  the  product  of 
their  hopeful  efforts,  enthusiastic  in  the  extreme,  with 
the  enthusiasm  of  a  sensitive  plant.   This  type  of  trans- 
lators would  probably  be  greatly  aided  by  a  "traduscope. "° 

By  our  definition  of  translation,  we  are  required  to  pro- 
duce accurate  and  readable  translations.   Accuracy  presup- 
poses a  true  understanding  of  the  meaning  of  the  original. 
Readability  implies  rendition  into  language  contemporary 
with  the  translator  in  such  a  manner  that  the  reader  or 
hearer  may  not  be  shocked  by  unintelligible  jargon  or  em- 
barrassed by  awkward  construction.   In  our  attempt  to  sim- 
plify the  definition  given  by  Toland,  we  do  not  intend  to 
detract  from  his  high  ideal.   We  are  merely  seeking  to  set 
our  goal  closer  to  us  in  an  effort  to  approach  it,  for  we 

^Espasa-Calpe ,  Universal  Ilustrada,  Vol.  63,  p.  509. 
g 
A  "traduscope"  was  a  dictaphone  into  which  Spanish  could 

"be  spoken  at  one  end  and  English  heard  at  the  other.   It 

was  the  invention  of  Silvestre  Paradox,  one  of  Pio  Baro- 

ja' s  heroes. 

—3— 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


know  that  it  can  never  "be  reached.   The  accuracy  and  read- 
ability of  a  translation  are  to  "be  judged  on  a  relative 
basis  by  the  reader.   The  value  of  a  translation  depends 
upon  the  ability  of  the  translator  to  understand  the  idea 
in  the  mind  of  the  writer  of  the  original,  and  his  success 
in  transferring  that  idea  into  another  language.  A  word 
by  word  rendition  is  acceptable  only  when  the  meaning  is 
not  violated  in  any  way.   This  type  of  translation,  how- 
ever, is  seldom  accurate.   To  emphasize,  permit  us  to  re- 
peat:  not  the  word  or  the  phrase,  but  the  idea  in  the 
mind  of  the  writer  is  the  important  matter  in  translation. 
Prospective  translators  differ  with  this  view,  for  they 
believe  that  occasionally  the  sensibilities  of  the  reader 
must  be  safeguarded.   Retrospective  translators,  on  the 
other  hand,  adhere  closely  to  the  substance  of  the  origin- 
al rather  than  to  the  form.   Obviously  then,  the  best 
translation  is  that  which  finds  a  happy  combination  of 
these  two  schools  of  thought. 

Translation  may  be  divided  into  four  definite  types: 
commercial,  scientific,  literary,  and  historical.   In  both 
commercial  and  scientific  translation,  accuracy  and  reada- 
bility are  easily  attained  inasmuch  as  technical  terms  are 
well  standardized.   The  translation  of  literary  and  his- 
torical matter,  however,  is  a  difficult  task.   It  is  sel- 
dom that  one  is  called  upon  to  translate  "the  feeling,  the 
life,  the  power,  and  the  spirit  of  the  original,"  in  com- 
mercial or  scientific  writing,  although  in  these  two  types, 
too,  accuracy  and  readability  are  the  prime  prerequisites. 
Furthermore,  in  these  types,  accuracy  smd  readability  are 
confined  to  a  factual  rendition  of  the  original  in  a  man- 
ner comprehensible  to  a  reader  whose  main  interest  is  in 
no  way  literary.   In  literary  and  historical  translations, 
on  the  other  hand,  it  is  essential  to  retain  as  much  of 
the  feeling  as  can  be  grasped  and  rendered  into  another 
language.   Literary  and  historical  translation  go  hand  in 
hand  until  they  reach  the  milepost  of  retrospection.   At 
this  point  differences  of  point  of  view  commence  to  insure 
a  thinly  disguised  separation. 

Whereas  literary  translation,  in  its  prospective  atti- 
tude, permits,  and  often  demands,  alteration  of  the  exact 
meaning  of  the  original  idea,  often  sacrificing  the  form, 
in  cases  where  a  literary  translation  finds  difficulty  in 
rendering  the  exact  idea,  a  similar  idea  may  be  substitut- 
ed, as  in  the  case  of  poetry.   Note,  for  instance,  the 

-4- 


THEORY 


change  in  the  idea  expressed  by  the  following  lines: 

Dicen  que  me  case  yo:     They  would  have  me  wed,  "but  I 
No  quiero  marido,  no.     Truly  for  no  husband  sigh- 

The  idea  expressed  by  the  word  "sigh"  in  the  translation 
is  nowhere  to  be  found  in  the  original.   The  change  is 
made  because  of  the  requirements  of  rhyme  and  rhythm.   The 
translator  might  have  avoided  the  idea  of  a  sigh  by  using 
a  more  accurate  but  less  poetic  line:   e.g.  "Truly  no  hus- 
band desire."   In  its  search  for  truth,  historical  trans- 
lation endeavors  to  find  exact  meanings  rather  than  embel- 
lishment of  language.   In  this  respect  historical  transla- 
tion is  more  akin  to  scientific  or  commercial  than  to  lit- 
erary translation.  No  poetic  license  is  permitted  in  the 
translation  of  historical  documents.   In  fact,  quite  often, 
when  there  is  doubt  in  the  mind  of  the  translator  as  to 
the  exactness  of  a  word,  the  original  word  or  expression 
is  retained  in  brackets.   Such  a  device  would  be  cumber- 
some and  undesirable  in  a  purely  literary  translation. 
One  of  the  chief  benefits  of  such  exactness  in  historical 
translations  is  the  preservation  of  the  original  documents; 
if  the  translation  is  accurate  enough,  there  is  no  need 
for  the  reader  to  handle  the  original.   Nevertheless,  in 
both  literary  and  historical  translation,  a  serious  at- 
tempt should  be  made  to  retain  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
flavor  of  the  original. 

VThat  is  "flavor  of  the  original?"  This  question  is  puz- 
zling, and  no  definite  answer  is  readily  available.   The 
flavor  is  not  merely  the  idiomatic  expression,  but  it  in- 
cluded also  the  vocabulary  and  phraseology  peculiar  to  the 
locality  or  time  of  the  original.   One  can  as  easily  put 
his  finger  on  the  flavor  of  an  original  as  one  may  indi- 
cate the  exact  place  where  a  soul  resides  in  a  body  that 
has  a  soul.   In  documents  which  have  it,  flavor  may  be 
found  anywhere  and  everywhere.   Many  factors  enter  into 
the  understanding  and  translation  of  the  flavor  of  an 
original.   Strict  adherence  to  the  idea  expressed  in  it 
and  the  method  of  expression  are  absolutely  necessary  in 
order  to  retain  the  flavor  of  the  original.   In  the  treins- 
lation  of  Spanish  historical  documents,  for  instance,  a 
"free"  translator  would  render  Vuestra  Excelencia,  Vuestra 
Senorfa,  and  vuestra  merced  into  English  with  the  simple 
pronoun  you.   A  translator  endeavoring  to  catch  and  retain 


Gil  Vicente  quoted  in  E.  Stuart  Bates,  Modern  Translation, 
p.  156.  _5_ 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


the  flavor  of  the  original,  on  the  other  hand,  would  use  a 
different  pronoun  for  each  of  the  Spanish  expressions.   One 
is  not  "being  vinnecessarily  meticulous  in  following  this  pro- 
cedure; Spaniards  used  various  forms  of  address  for  persons 
of  different  rank.   In  fact,  they  were  so  determined  to 
have  the  proper  form  of  address  that  they  made  the  use  of 
Vuestra  Senoria  a  matter  of  royal  decree  and  special  rul- 
ing. °  Therefore,  the  translator  who  should  ignore  these 
customary  forms  of  address  would  necessarily  lose  much  of 
the  flavor  of  the  original.   It  is  only  by  paying  atten- 
tion to  such  seemingly  unimportant  details  that  the  flavor 
is  retained.   There  is  the  common  misconception  that,  in 
an  effort  to  grasp  the  elusive  flavor,  translators  should 
keep  the  long  and  involved  structure  of  sentences  found  in 
Spanish  historical  documents.   This  practice  not  only  fails 
in  its  purpose,  hut  it  succeeds  in  making  the  translation 
unwieldy,  awkward,  \inbalanced,  and  sometimes  even  unintel- 
ligible. 

Examples  of  acceptable  published  translations,  judged  by 
our  standards,  are  rare.   In  fact,  although  we  are  familiar 
with  most  translations  of  Spanish  historical  documents  pub- 
lished within  the  last  decade,  the  only  translations  that 
we  can  heartily  recommend  as  models  are  those  printed  by 
the  Florida  Historical  Society  in  1931,  entitled  Documents 
Relating  to  the  Commercial  Policy  of  Spain  in  the  Floridas, 
with  Incidental  Reference  to  Loui s i ana ,  which  were  prepared 
by  Professor  Arthur  Preston  Whitaker;  Professor  Herbert 
Eugene  Bolton's  Anza' s  California  Expedition,  1930,  5  vol- 
umes; and  his  Font' s  Complete  Diary,  A  Chronicle  of  the 
Founding  of  San  Francisco,  1931;  and  Professor  Charles 
Wilson  Hacke 1 1 ' s  Pichardo' s  Treatise  on  the  Limits  of 
Louisiana  and  Texas ,  1934,  2  volumes.   Brackets  were  sel- 
dom used  in  these  publications.   The  practice  of  omitting 
brackets  when  publishing  translations  is  a  commendable  mark 
of  consideration  for  the  reader. 

It  shall  be  the  object  of  subsequent  pages  of  this  study 
to  attempt  to  indicate  the  method  of  retaining  at  least 
some  of  the  flavor  of  the  original,  and  also  to  show  how 
to  follow  our  definition  of  translation  to  its  ultimate 
conclusion  in  regard  to  Spanish  historical  documents.   Ac- 
curacy and  readability  are  to  be  our  goal,  and,  in  ap- 


Eoyal  decree,  September  24,  1778;  special  ruling,  Febru- 
ary 14,  1803.   The  Spanish  Archives  of  Texas,  The  Univer- 
sity of  Texas. 

-6- 


THEORY 


preaching  it  as  closely  as  possible,  we  shall  study  the 
reading  of  documents,  which  is  the  first  step  in  any  kind 
of  translation;  the  method  of  translation,  which  will  "be 
supplemented  with  a  numher  of  special  aids,  and  the  presen- 
tation of  the  finished  product. 


-7- 


CHAPTER  II 
PALEOGRAPHY 


The  reading  of  manuscripts  is  obviously  the  most  impor- 
tant operation  in  the  study  of  documents.  Whether  a  manu- 
script is  to  "be  preserved,  transcribed,  or  translated,  it 
must  first  "be  read  in  part  or  as  a  whole.   The  ahility  to 
read  manuscripts  accurately  is  acquired  only  as  a  result 
of  actual  experience  in  studying  documents.   In  addition 
to  experience,  however,  the  reading  of  manuscripts  may 
he  facilitated  hy  a  study  of  the  development  of  handwrit- 
ing, and  by  making  use  of  the  scientific  aids  available 
for  that  purpose. 

In  a  study  of  this  nature  it  is  not  necessary  to  delve 
into  the  development  of  handwriting  in  great  detail.  Nev- 
ertheless, a  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  handwriting  may 
be  presented  as  an  aid  to  the  translator  of  Spanish  his- 
torical documents.  Familiarity  with  types  of  handwriting 
used  in  different  periods  of  history  will  facilitate  iden- 
tification of  questioned  documents.   Furthermore,  valu- 
able assistance  in  the  reading  of  faded  or  poor  handwrit- 
ing may  be  obtained  by  using  certain  scientific  methods  and 
instruments  devised  for  that  purpose.   The  remaining  por- 
tion of  this  chapter  presents  (l)  a  sketch  of  the  history 
of  Spanish  handwriting,  and  (2)  a  brief  exposition  of 
various  scientific  aids  for  the  reading  of  manuscripts. 

1.  Development  of  Spanish  Handwriting. 

Before  the  Romans  invaded  Spain,  the  aboriginal  tribes 
of  Spain  spoke  various  Iberian  dialects.   They  had  a 
native  form  of  handwriting.   This  Iberian  hand  is  to  be 
found  only  in  archeological  specimens,  and  particularly  on 
coins.  According  to  certain  paleographers,  the  letters 
of  the  Iberian  alphabet  are  founded  on  the  Phoenician  and 
archaic  Greek  alphabets. ^  The  most  outstanding  character- 
istic of  Iberian  inscriptions  is  the  lack  of  vowels.  A 
study  of  Iberian  handwriting,  however,  falls  more  properly 
within  the  field  of  numismatics,  and,  consequently,  out- 


•^Jesus  Munoz  y  Rivero  ,  Manual  de  Paleograf  la  diplomat  ica 
espanola  de  los  siglos  XI  al  XVII ,  p.  14. 

-8- 


PALEOGRAPHY 


side  the  range  of  this  sketch. 

Because  of  the  Roman  conquest  of  Spain,  the  common  lan- 
guage of  the  Spanish  peninsula  for  the  first  four  or  five 
centuries  of  the  Christian  era  was  the  Roman.   The  "Visi- 
goths, who  eventually"  conquered  all  of  Spain,  had  attained 
a  high  degree  of  civilization  in  their  prolonged  contact 
with  the  Romans  in  Gaul.   Their  conversion  to  Catholicism 
helped  to  perserve  the  Latin  language.   Nevertheless,  al- 
though these  northern  tribes  adopted  the  Roman  language  of 
the  Spaniards,  they  modified  it  to  suit  their  convenience. 

After  the  northern  invaders  had  initiated  the  corruption 
of  the  Roman  language,  Spain  was  deluged  with  Moors  from 
Africa.   These  southern  invaders  further  hastened  greater 
deterioration  of  the  language.  Although  the  Moors  per- 
mitted the  use  of  Latin,  the  common  people  soon  developed 
a  corrupt  mixture  of  their  language  with  the  Arabic.   Cul- 
tured Spaniards  cultivated  the  Arabic  language  so  assid- 
uously that  by  the  ninth  century  they  surpassed  even  the 
Moors  in  its  embellishment,  to  the  utter  neglect  of  Latin. 

Spaniards  that  took  refuge  in  the  mountains  rather  than 
submitting  to  the  Moorish  conquest,  were  the  preservers 
of  the  Latin-barbarian  Spanish,  from  which  modern  Spanish 
developed.   These  Spaniards  organized  separate  and  inde- 
pendent feudal  kingdoms  which  developed  characteristic 
peculiarities  of  language.   Thus  it  was  that  Castilian, 
Catalonian,  Provenjal,  and  other  languages  grad\ially  devel- 
oped.  The  Castilians  extended  their  language  to  all  the 
territory  they  conquered  from  the  Moors.  While  driving  the 
Moors  before  them,  however,  the  Castilians  adopted  certain 
elements  of  the  Arabic  language  left  behind  by  the  conquer- 
ed.  The  expansion  of  Castilian  power,  therefore,  extended 
the  Castilian  language,  which  was  a  mixture  of  Latin,  bar- 
barian, and  Arabic.   True  Latin  retreated  into  the  churches 
and  monasteries.^  The  further  extension  of  the  Castilian 
language,  to  the  exclusion  of  others,  was  hastened  by  the 
efforts  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  by  the  publication  of  the 
Arte  de  la  Lengua  Castellana.  written  by  Antonio  de  Lebrija, 
in  1492,  and  by  the  advent  of  the  printing  press,  which 
made  it  possible  to  reproduce  this  and  other  similar  books 
in  large  nvimbers.3  There  has  been  very  little  change  in  the 

Estevan  de  Terreros  y  Pando ,  Paleograf{a  espanola, 
pp.  1-30. 

^IMd.  ,  p.  29. 

-9- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


elements  of  the  Castilian  language  from  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury to  the  present. 

From  earliest  times  to  the  eighteenth  century,  Spanish 
handwriting  underwent  transformations  similar  to  those  ex- 
perienced "by  the  language.  As  a  Western  type  of  heuidwriting, 
the  modern  Spanish  hand  developed  from  the  script  of  early 
Rome,'^  known  as  the  Romam  cursive,  which  was  in  use  in  Spain 
as  late  as  the  sixth  century.   The  Visigothic  hand  followed 
the  Roman  cursive,  and  was  well  established  "by  the  eighth 
century.   It  lasted  until  the  12th  century,  when  it  was 
finally  displaced  "by  the  Caroline  miniscule.   ConsideralDle 
changes  occurred  in  handwriting  in  the  13th  century,  and 
"by  a  process  of  elimination,  the  it^lica  wps  eventually 
adopted  in  the  17th  century  for  the  writing  of  puhlic  in- 
struments.^ With  only  personal  modifications,  the  it^lica 
has  persisted  to  the  present  time. 

During  the  period  of  Roman  domination  in  Spain,  four  types 
of  handwriting,  all  Roman,  were  used.   These  were: 
(l)  the  Roman  capitals,  of  two  kinds:   (a)  the  sq^uare ,  and 
(h)  the  rustic;  (2)  the  vmcials;  (3)  the  semi-uncials;  and 
(4)  the  Roman  cursive.   Sq^uare  capitals  are  generally  of 
the  same  height,  with  the  exception  of  F  and  L,  which  gen- 
erally rise  higher.   The  angles  are  right  angles,  and  the 
"bases,  tops  smd  extremities  are  finished  off  with  fine 
strokes  and  pendants  such  as  those  used  in  our  modern  copies 
of  this  type  of  letters.^  In  rustic  capitals  the  strokes 
are  more  slender,  cross-strokes  are  short  and  are  more  or 
less  oblique  and  waved,  and  finials  are  not  added  to  them. 
As  compared  with  square  capitals,  rustic  capitals  present 
a  less  finished  aspect,  though  they  are  accurately  shaped.'^ 
Uncials  are  merely  modifications  of  square  capitals;  they 
are  essentially  a  round  hand.   The  main  vertical  strokes 
generally  rise  above  or  fall  below  the  line  of  writing. ° 
The  semi-uncial,  or  mixed  hand,  developed  from  the  uncial. 
It  may  be  said  to  have  the  characteristics  of  both  the  un- 
cial and  the  cursive  hands.   The  general  character  is  a 

^H. G.T. Christopher  ,   Paleography  and  Archives,  p.  2. 
Edward  Maunde  Thompson ,  Hand'book  of  Greek  and  Lat  in 
Paleography,  pp.  184-225. 

Edward  Maunde  Thompson,  Hand'book  of  Greek  and  Lat  in 
Paleography,  p.  184.   For  specimens  of  handwriting, 
see  Appendix  B. 
'''Agustin  Millares  Carlo,  Paleograf  la  espanola.  Vol.  I  ,  p.  16. 

^Edward  Maunde  Thompson,  Ibid. ,  p.  191. 

-10- 


PALEOGRAPHY 

sloping  uncial,  "but  the  letters  b  and  i   are  cursive  forms; 
the  lengthening  of  vertical  strokes  indicates  the  influence 
of  the  cursive  hand. 9  Cursive  writing  was  the  ordinary- 
writing  of  the  people  for  the  first  three  centuries  of  the 
Christian  era.   The  letters  are  nothing  more  than  the  old 
Roman  letters  written  with  speed,  and  thus  undergoing  cer- 
tain modifications  in  form,  which  eventually  developed  into 
the  Roman  miniscule  hand. 10 

After  the  period  of  Roman  domination,  Spain  fell  to  the 
Visigoths,  who  "brought  their  handwriting  with  them.   Their 
own  hand,  however,  had  "been  greatly  modified  "by  their  pro- 
longed contact  with  Roman  culture  in  the  Gauls.  When  they 
conquered  Spain,  they  adopted  the  native  form  of  handwrit- 
ing, which  was  the  Roman  cursive,  and  modified  it  into  the 
Visigothic  hand  which  "became  the  national  form  of  writing 
in  Spain,  and  was  well  esta"blished  "by  the  eighth  century. 
The  Visigothic  hand  was  divided  into  three  classes:   (l) 
the  majuscule,  which  was  in  turn  divided  into  two  kinds; 
(a)  capital,  and  ("b)  \incial;  (2)  the  miniscule;  and  (3) 
the  cursive.  Visigothic  capitals  were  similar  to  the  old 
Roman  square  capitals.   The  chief  difference  "between  them 
is  the  close  grouping  and  elongation  of  letters  in  the 
Visigothic.   Visigothic  uncials  are  similar  to  Roman  uncials, 
the  greatest  difference  "being  the  more  slender  strokes  of 
the  Visigothic.   Visigothic  miniscules  resem"ble  our  modern 
italics,  with  the  difference  of  the  perpendicular  strokes 
of  the  miniscule.  Visigothic  cursive  closely  resem'bles 
the  Roman  cursive  of  the  seventh  century,  which  it  imitates 
in  the  long  perpendicular  strokes  of  most  consonants,  and 
the  clearly  outlined  vowels. 

The  majuscule  type  of  handwriting  was  used  from  the 
eighth  to  the  twelfth  centuries  for  epigraphs.   The  minis- 
cule was  in  use  during  the  same  period  for  the  text  of  co- 
dices and  documents;  and  the  cursive  hand  was  employed  main- 
ly for  documents.   It  should  "be  noted  that  in  Asturias 
and  Leon  the  use  of  miniscule  for  codices  predominates, 
while  the  cursive  hand  was  employed  in  writing  documents. 
In  Aragon  and  Navarre  cursive  handwriting  was  extremely  rare, 
and  the  miniscule  was  commonly  used  for  books  and  legal  do- 
cuments. 11 

VThen  the  Romans  su'bjected  the  Gauls  to  their  domination, 

Le  Chanoine  Reusens ,  Elements  de  Paleograhie,  p.  13; 
E.  M.  Thompson,  I"bid.  ,  p.  197. 
l^E.  M.  Thompson,  Ibid. .  p.  204. 

Jesus  Munoz  y   Eivero ,  Ibid. ,  p.  23. 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


they  imposed  upon  the  people  their  various  types  of  hand- 
writing.  Upon  the  fall  of  the  Roman  empire,  the  Franks 
adopted  the  handwriting  of  the  conquered  race.   In  the  hands 
of  the  Franks,  however,  Roman  handwriting  rapidly  deter- 
iorated into  what  is  known  as  the  Merovingian  hand.  By  the 
Merovingian  hand  the  Roman  cursive  was  "transformed  into  a 
curiously  cramped  style  of  writing,  and  the  letters  "being 
laterally  compressed,  the  strokes  usToally  slender,  and 
the  heads  and  tails  of  letters  exaggerated.  "■'■^  This  type 
of  Frankish  handwriting  continued  to  deteriorate  to  such 
a  degree  that  a  reform  was  greatly  desired.   Such  a  reform 
was  instituted  "by  Charlemagne  in  the  eighth  century. 

The  activity  of  Charlemagne  in  the  field  of  learning 
prompted  a  reform  in  handwriting,  the  chief  medium  for 
the  propagation  of  literature.  Under  his  direction,  great 
impetus  was  given  to  the  improvement  of  the  current  hand; 
and  the  chief  monastic  centers  of  Europe  increased  the  work 
of  their  writing  schools.   None  was  more  active  than  the 
monastic  schools  of  Tours,  where,  "under  the  direction  of 
Alcuin  of  York,  abhot  of  St.  Martin's  from  796  to  804,  the 
exact  hand  later  known  as  the  Caroline  miniscule  was  devel- 
oped. 

The  Caroline  miniscule  spread  rapidly  "beyond  the  "boun- 
daries of  France.   It  was,  however,  slow  in  penetrating 
into  Spain.   The  province  of  Catalonia,  which  adjoined 
France,  was  the  first  to  adopt  this  form  of  handwriting. 
It  "was  not  introduced  into  the  rest  of  Spain,  however,  un- 
til the  eleventh  century;  and  it  "was  not  generally  adopted 
until  the  "twelfth  century.   The  Caroline  miniscule  "was  in- 
troduced in  Spain  by  the  monks  of  Cluny,  first  in  Aragon 
and  Navarre,  and  later  in  Leon  and  Castille.-'-'^ 

The  chief  characteristics  of  the  Caroline  miniscule  are: 

(1)  a  tendency  to  use  straight  lines  in  all  of  its  strokes; 

(2)  a  contrast  "between  the  main  staffs,  which  are  hea"vy, 
and  its  loops,  and  other  lines,  which  are  extremely  fine; 

(3)  even  proportion;   (4)  absence  of  slant,  its  main  staffs 
are  at  right  angles  to  the  base  line;  (5)  large  number  of 
abbreviations;  (6)  absence  of  connections;  each  letter  is 
isolated  from  the  rest.   The  Caroline  miniscule,  also  known 
in  Spain  as  the  French  hand  was  used  throughout  Spain  dur- 
ing most  of  the  twelfth  century  and  the  early  decades  of 
the  thirteenth  century.   During  this  period,  abbreviations 
by  suspension,  by  contraction,  and  by  special  symbols  were 
■'■^E.  M.  Thompson,  Ibid.  ,  pp.  226-227. 

J.  M"u£oz  y  Rivero  ,  I'bid.  ,  p.  30. 
-12- 


PALEOGRAPHY 


profusely  employed. 


In  the  thirteenth  century  the  Trench  hand  used  in  Spain 
underwent  considerahle  changes.   The  resultant  modified 
hand  has  "been  improperly  called  the  Gothic  hand.l'^  This 
type  of  hand  acquired  long  curves  in  place  of  perpendic- 
ular strokes  a"bove  and  "below  the  "base  line,  and  much  un- 
necessary ornamentation.  Another  type  also  derived  from  the 
Caroline  miniscule  is  generally  known  as  the  Gothic  minis- 
cule.   In  Spain,  however,  these  two  types  were  known  as  the 
(l)  Privilegios,  or  gremts;  and  the  (2)  alhalaes,  or  patents. 
The  chief  characteristic  of  these  two  types  is  that  they 
made  little  use  of  ahhreviations.   These  types  were  used 
mainly  in  Castile,  "but  since  the  Castilian  language  was  made 
the  official  language  for  documents  "by  Alfonso  X,  they 
subsequently  received  wide  acceptance. ■'■^  The  privilegios 
hand  is  different  from  the  French  hand  only  in  that  it  is 
somewhat  more  angular  at  the  extremities  of  its  staffs  in 
relation  to  the  "base  line,  in  that  its  perpendicular  and 
slanting  strokes  terminate  in  curves,  and  in  that  it  is 
loaded  with  useless  ornamentation.   The  alhalaes  hand  is  no 
different  from  the  privilegios  hand  in  regard  to  the  shape 
of  the  letters,  "but  it  is  different  in  regard  to  propor- 
tion, slant,  and  connection.  Both  types  make  use  of  fewer 
abbreviations  than  does  the  French  hand. 

The  handwriting  types  used  in  the  thirteenth  century 
continued  in  use  throughout  the  fourteenth  century.   The 
only  change  in  their  form  was  the  ro-undness  acquired  during 
this  century  especially  in  documents  written  after  1350. 
There  was  an  increased  substitution  of  curves  for  angles. 
The  so-called  privilegios  hand  developed  into  the  redonda, 
or  round,  of  the  fifteenth  century;  while  the  albalaes  de- 
veloped into  the  cortesana.  or  courthand.   The  cortesana 
was  crowded,  entangled,  and  its  characters  were  bound  with 
knotty  connections. 

In  the  fifteenth  century  there  were  five  kinds  of  hand- 
writing in  use  throughout  Spain:  (l)  itdlica,  or  bastardilla, 
italics;  (2)  redonda.  or  round;  (3)  alemana,  or  German;  (4) 
cortesana.  or  courthand;  and  (5)  procesal,  or  processal. 
The  itdlica  is  similar  to  modern  italics.   The  redonda  had 
a  uniformly  heavy  line;  it  was  broad  in  design;  and  little 
use  was  made  of  abbreviations.   The  only  difficulty  in  read- 
ing it  is  that  words  are  not  uniformly  separated.   The  ale- 

J.  MuSoz  y  Rivero,  I'bid.  ,  p.  31. 

^^Ibid. ,  pp.  31-32. 

—13— 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


mana  is  different  from  the  French  hand,  from  which  it  de- 
veloped, only  because  it  was  narrower,  and  its  extremities, 
"both  upper  and  lower,  terminated  in  sharp  angles.   This 
hand  was  employed  in  printing  from  the  earliest  time  the 
printing  press  was  used.   The  cortesana  was  different  from 
the  al"balaes  chiefly  "because  of  its  roundness,  and  its 
entangled  aspect.   The  procesal  was  merely  a  corruption  of 
the  cortesana.   The  procesal  is  easily  distinguished  "be- 
cause it  was  stretched  out  on  the  base  line,  it  was  larger, 
and  had  more  connections;  it  had  greater  irregularity  in 
word  connections. 16 

In  the  sixteenth  century  only  three  of  the  five  types  of 
handwriting  continued  to  be  used:   (l)  cortesana;  (2)  itdl- 
ica;  (3)  procesal.   The  procesal  was  more  extensively  used 
than  the  other  two  types.   The  abuses  introduced  in  hand- 
writing by  scribes  in  the  use  of  the  procesal  compelled  the 
queen  to  issue  certain  orders  in  the  year  1503.   On  March  3, 
1503,  she  issued  at  Alcall.  a  schedule  of  rates  for  scribes. 
It  provided  that  scribes  in  councils  should  place  thirty- 
five  lines  to  a  page.,  and  fifteen  words  to  a  line.   This 
provision  was  made  applicable  to  all  scribes  throughout 
the  kingdom  by  a  decree  dated  June  7,  1503.   The  decree  fur- 
ther ordered  that  the  scribes  use  the  cortesana  and  not  the 
procesal .   In  spite  of  these  orders,  however,  scribes  contin- 
ued to  use  the  procesal,  progressively  increasing  its  de- 
formities. 

The  decadence  in  handwriting  experienced  during  the 
sixteenth  cent\iry  brought  about  extensive  reforms  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  At  the  opening  of  the  century,  the- 
procesal  was  in  general  use  among  scribes,  who  rapidly  dis- 
torted it  until  they  developed  the  type  known  as  the  pro- 
cesal encadenada.  or  linked  processal,  the  worst  type  of  hand- 
writing ever  used  by  Spaniards.  Fort\inately,  althoiigh  pro- 
fessional scribes  were  distorting  handwriting,  the  general 
public  was  abandoning  radical  innovations  and  adhering  to 
the  itl,lica.  which  was  the  chief  hand  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  which,  with  only  perst)nal  exceptions,  is  in 
use  today. 

2.  Aids  for  Reading  Manuscripts. 

Adequate  light  is  a  physical  necessity  in  the  reading 
of  manuscripts.   The  kind  of  light  and  the  degree  of  inten- 
sity that  should  be  used  by  any  and  all  readers  varies  with 

l^lbid.,  p.  36.  _^^_ 


PALEOQRAPHY 


emd  should  "be  adjusted  to  the  condition  of  the  reader's  eye- 
sight, the  kind  and  condition  of  the  manuscript,  and  the 
reader's  reaction  to  natural  or  artificial  light. 

Experience  and  our  investigation  have  shovm  that  nat- 
ural, or  daylight — "but  not  direct  sunlight — is  the  most  ad- 
equate illumination  for  the  correct  reading  of  manuscripts. 
Sometimes  even  with  adequate  light,  however,  it  is  often 
difficult  to  read  a  manuscript  and  it  is  necessary  to  tilt 
it  to  the  angle  that  will  give  the  "best  results.   This  re- 
markably simple  expedient  yields  amazingly  profitable  re- 
sults.  Occasionally  an  apparently  "blank  page  of  a  docu- 
ment, when  tilted  to  face  the  same  light  at  the  proper 
angle,  will  suddenly  as  if  by  magic,  reveal  a  full  page  of 
legible  handwriting. 

VThen  adequate  natural  light  is  not  available,  the  use 
of  artificial  light  becomes  a  necessity.   The  artificial 
light  used  shovLLd  be  that  which  most  closely  resembles  nat- 
ural light.   This  fact  cannot  be  too  strongly  emphasized 
in  order  that  the  best  results  may  be  obtained  in  reading 
original  documents,  and  in  order  that  the  life  of  the  read- 
er's eyesight  may  not  be  prematurely  shortened.   It  is 
true  that  reading  a  white,  glaring,  printed  page  of  a  book 
is  ordinarily  more  injurious  to  the  eyesight  than  reading 
a  time-mellowed  light-absorbing  page  of  manuscript,  but 
the  intensity  with  which  an  avid  reader  of  manuscript  is 
prone  to  focus  his  gaze  upon  difficult  passages  often  re- 
sults in  extreme  strain  eind  event\ial  injury  to  eyesight. 
This  assertion  applies  especially  to  the  reading  of  photo- 
static and  microfilm  copies  of  manuscripts.   Indirect  light- 
ing seems  more  closely  to  approximate  natural  light  than 
direct  lighting.  As  a  general  and  flexible  rule,  it  may 
be  stated  that  persons  with  brown  or  black  eyes  require  more 
intense  light  than  those  with  blue  or  gray  eyes. 

In  reading  faded  handwriting,  it  is  sometimes  a  problem 
to  distinguish  between  a  manuscript  that  is  absolutely 
blank  and  one  that  has  some  writing  on  it.  Adequate  light, 
either  cast  directly  on  the  object  or  transmitted,  usually 
reveals  the  answer  to  this  problem.   Transmitted  light  is 
especially  helpful  in  reading  faint  lines,  and  water  marks, 
provided  there  is  no  writing  on  the  reverse  side  of  the 
manuscript.   Light  may  be  transmitted  by  placing  the  manu- 
script against  a  window  pane,  or  by  placing  it  over  a  plane 
of  clear  glass  with  an  electric  light  under  it. 

-15- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


Deciphering  letters  and  words,  which  are  obscure  be- 
cause of  the  obsolete  type  of  handwriting  or  because  of 
personal  characteristics  of  the  writer,  constitutes  the 
most  serious  problem  in  the  reading  of  manuscripts.   In 
the  solution  of  this  problem,  the  comparison  of  letters 
and  words  within  the  manuscript  is  the  readiest  method. 
UsTially,  the  reader  can  recognize  a  few  words  even  in  the 
most  baffling  of  manuscripts.   The  words  and  letters  that 
can  be  read  may  then  be  used  as  standards  of  comparison. 
Known  letters  can  be  placed  by  the  side  of  unknown  charac- 
ters, mentally,  or  by  actual  transcription,  to  aid  in  iden- 
tification.  Likewise  entire  words  may  be  similarly  used. 
This  method  may  be  applied  to  Spanish  historical  docu- 
ments of  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  centuries,  which 
are  generally  clearly  legible,  when  the  writer  had  a  hand- 
writing difficult  to  read. 

Spanish  historical  documents  of  the  sixteenth  and  sev- 
enteenth centuries  may  be  read  by  using  as  standards  of 
comparison  any  printed  facsimiles  of  original  manuscripts 
and  their  transcription.!'''   In  certain  cases,  individual 
letters  may  be  identified  by  comparison  with  standards  of 
different  types  of  letters  used  in  those  centuries,  such  as 
the  tabulated  lists  presented  with  this  study. 18  These 
lists  also  may  be  used,  of  course,  in  identifying  letters 
for  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  century.   In  using  these 
lists  as  standards  of  comparison,  allowance  should  be  made 
for  the  differences  given  by  different  writers  to  letters 
of  the  same  fundamental  type. 

Further  aid  in  reading  manuscripts  may  be  obtained  by 
noting  individual  characteristics  of  handwriting.   One  of 
the  first  peculiarities  to  be  noted  is  that  of  size.   At  a 
glance  the  reader  can  tell  whether  the  writer  of  a  manu- 
script used  large,  medium,  or  small  handwriting.   Then 
the  general  slant,  to  the  left  or  to  the  right,  should  be 
ascertained.   General  proportion  of  letters  as  related  to 
one  another  within  a  word  is  a  characteristic  that  often 
leads  to  identification  of  difficult  words.   The  shape  of 
each  letter  is,  of  course,  the  best  method  for  reading  iso- 
lated words,  since  letters  once  identified  may  be  used  as 
standards  of  comparison.   Distinctive  initial  or  final  pen 

Such  as  those  to  be  found  in,  J.  Muno z  y  Eivero ,  Manual 
de  paleograffa  diplomdit  ica  espanola;  and,  J.  Munc^z  y 
Eivero,  Paleograffa  popular;  and  Agustm  Millares  Carlo, 
Paleograf fa  espanola.  Vol.  II. 

18 

See   Appendix    C.  -16- 


PALEOGRAPHY 


pressure,  embellishments,  abbreviation  of  final  letters, 
curves,  ragged  lines,  crossing  of  the  "t",  dotting  of  the 
"i",  acute  or  rounded  angles,  are  a  few  additional  indi- 
vidual characteristics  of  handwriting  that  should  be  iso- 
lated when  the  reader  is  attempting  to  read  accurately  a 
difficult  manuscript. 

It  is  often  advisable,  for  the  purpose  of  identifica- 
tion through  comparison  to  magnify  handwriting.   When  such 
is  the  case,  a  good  hand  magnifier  may  be  used  "such  as  the 
Aplenatic  Non-spherical  Reading  Glass  magnifying  eight  dea- 
meters,  made  by  Zeiss.   The  Albada  Wide-angle  Magnifier  X3.5 
is  another  very  useful  instrument,  because  with  it  an  ex- 
ceptionally large  field  can  be  surveyed  simply  by  moving  the 
eye.   This  is  of  great  advantage  in  the  study  of  manuscripts, 
as  it  makes  possible  the  simultaneous  comparison  of  two 
handwritings."!^   If  great  magnification  is  desired,  a  bin- 
ocular microscope  with  the  low-power  objective  under  re- 
flected light,  daylight  whenever  possible,  should  be 
used. 20 

In  transcribing  manuscripts,  it  is  alwayo  safer  to  use 
the  original  itself  whenever  possible.   Photostatic  or  mi- 
crofilm copies  are  useful  only  when  the  original  is  not 
available  since  there  is  a  possibility  that  part  of  the 
original  may  be  lost  in  photographing.   Nevertheless,  pho- 
tography in  various  forms  is  an  excellent  aid  in  the  iden- 
tification of  handwriting. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  photography,  in  one  form  or  another, 
is  rapidly  becoming  an  indispensable  factor  in  the  accurate 
reading  and  transcription  of  manuscripts.   Use  of  special 
illumination  and  light  filters  has  been  made  by  students  of 
historical  documents  in  the  reproduction  of  manuscripts  with 
remarkable  results.   In  photographing  manuscripts  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  out  handwriting  that  is  difficult  to 
read  with  the  naked  eye  or  even  with  the  aid  of  a  hand  view- 
er or  microscope,  ultra-violet  rays,  with  adequate  light 
and  light  filters  are  sometimes  used  as  well  as  chemicals 
to  cause  fluorescence. 


19 

R.  B.  Haselden,  Scientific  Aid  for  the  Study  of  Manu- 


scripts, p .  43. 

'^^For  an  excellent  discussion  on  the  use  of  microscopes 
in  the  identification  of  questioned  documents,  see 
Altert  Osborne,  Questioned  Documents.   Chapter  VI. 

-17- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


Ultra-violet  light  for  reading  small  portions  of  meuau- 
scripts  may  be  obtained  from  ordinary  daylight  by  the  use 
of  a  callophane.   This  instrument  consists  merely  of  a 
folding  wooden  box,  9x7x1  inches  when  closed.   The 
lid  is  hinged  at  one  end  and  fitted  with  a  glass  filter 
transparent  only  to  the  ultra-violet  rays  of  daylight.   It 
is  necessary  only  to  place  the  manuscript  in  the  box,  and 
to  hold  the  open  end,  opposite  the  hinge,  against  the  face 
in  such  a  way  as  to  exclude  all  light,  except  that  which 
goes  throTigh  the  filter.   The  callophane  may  be  used  in 
front  of  a  window.  Naturally,  if  a  greater  source  of  ultra- 
violet light  is  used,  the  callophane  is  more  effective. 21 

Various  types  of  sources  of  ultra-violet  light  are  avail- 
able which  may  be  Jiged  profitably  either  with  a  callophane 
or  in  the  making  of  photographic  reproductions  of  manuscripts. 
One  of  the  most  common  types  used  is  the  Hanovia  lamp  which 
"consists  of  the  usual  evacuated  fused  quartz  tube  with  a 
small  vessel  at  either  end  containing  mercury  which  is  in 
contact  with  metallic  leads  ground  into  the  quartz  and 
fixed  in  cement.  ...Lamps  are  made  to  burn  on  110  to  130 
volts  and  220-volt  circuits  with  either  alternating-  or 
direct-current.   The  burner  for  alternating-current  has  two 
positive  poles  instead  of  one  as  in  the  case  of  the  direct- 
current  burner,  and  the  fall  of  potential  across  the  elec- 
trodes ranges  from  160  to  170  volts. "22 

Recently,  Dr.  L.  Bendikson,  who  is  in  charge  of  photo- 
graphic reproductions  at  the  Henry  E.  Huntington  Library, 
developed  an  inexpensive  source  of  ultra-violet  light.  He 
described  it  as  follows: 

The  lamp  proper  consists  of  a  coil  or  spiral  of 
quartz  tubing.   This  tubing,  one  qviarter  inch  in 
diameter  and  sealed  at  both  ends,  is  filled,  in 
vacuo,  with  a  mixture  of  argon,  helium,  and  mer- 
cury vapor,  throio^h  which  passes  the  electric  cur- 
rent. Back  of  the  quartz  coil  is  a  metal  reflector 
and  the  whole  is  incased  in  a  black  lacquered,  box- 
shaped  lamp  housing,  measuring  in  front  seven  inches 
square,  by  2  1/4  inches  in  depth.   The  front  is 
open,  but  here  the  rims  of  the  housing  are  shaped 
in  such  a  fashion,  that  they  can  hold  the  Corning 
filters,  that  are  needed  to  segregate  the  ultra- 

2^J.  A.  Radley  and  Julius  Grant,  Fluorescence  Analysis  in 
Ultra-violet  Light,  pp.  18-19. 

22rbid_.  ,  p.  16.  _18_ 


PALEOGRAPHY 


violet  from  the  visible  rays.   In  the  center  of 
the  housing,  rxinning  from  the  front  to  the  hack  is 
a  tvinnel,  cylindrical  in  shape,  with  a  diameter  of 
2   1/2  inches.   The  lens  of  the  camera,  to  be  used 
for  the  ultra-violet  photography,  protrudes  into 
this  tunnel,  which  acts  consequently  as  a  lens  hood. 23 

Q-reat  advantages  are  attributed  to  this  type  of  lamp,  such 
as  lower  cost,  generation  of  less  heat,  greater  actinic 
value  of  the  ultra-violet  radiation,  which  permits  shorter 
exposure,  and  evenly  distributed  illumination. 

The  same  investigator  later  developed  a  "Palimscope," 
based  on  the  lamp  Just  described,  as  a  source  of  ultra- 
violet illumination  for  the  study  of  palimpsests.   It  con- 
sists chiefly  of  a  quartz  tubing  concentrated  in  a  spiral. 
Provided  with  a  handle,  this  source  of  ultra-violet  light 
can  be  used  as  a  flashlight.   Its  uses  need  not  be  confined 
to  the  reading  of  palimpsests. 24 

Light  filters  are  essential  when  photographing  manu- 
scripts under  ultra-violet  radiation.  They  are  also  used 
in  photographing  stains  and  in  reading  faded  writing  with 
the  mercury  vapor  lamps  used  for  illumination  when  making 
photostatic  reproductions.  The  following  filters  are  to 
be  used  with  ultra-violet  lamp: 


1.  Eed  Purple  Ultra,  No.  597^  Transmits,  3,650  i,  ul- 
tra-violet free 
at  about  7,200 


XM9U.    rUJ-iiJ-V     WXb^a,     mu  •      %j.n  i  .  xxcbuomx  wo  ,      u  ,  wi/w     A,      ixJ." 

tra-violet  freely,  4,050  A  violet,  and  extreme  red 


Heat  Hesisting  Red  Purple  Ultra.  No.  587.  Transmits 
the  same  as  the  preceding  filter,  but  appears  some- 
what darker. 

Violet  Ultra,  No.  586.   Transmits  3,650  A  ultra-vio- 
let: and  in  a  thickness  of  seven  mm.  or  greater 
transmits  no  visible  red. 

Red  Purple  Corex  A,  No.  986.  Transmits  ultra-violet 
at  wave-lengths  3,100  a  and  shorter,  and  absorbs 
most  of  the  visible  light  of  wave-length  longer  than 
4,250  A. 


^^Library  Journal,  September  15,  1934,  Vol.  59,  p.  691. 

^^L.  Bendikson,  "A  Cycle  of  Ultra-violet  Light  Source  for 
Various  Uses",  Library  Journal ,  Jan.,  1936,  Vol.  61, 
pp.  16-17.  _19_ 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

2.  Hanau  filter  transmits  ultra-violet  similar  to  that 
of  Corning  No.  587. 

3.  Wratten  filter  No.  18A.   Transmits  ultra-violet  sim- 
ilar to  that  of  Corning  Filter  No.  587.25 

When  photographing  documents  under  ultra-violet  illumin- 
ation, it  is  often  advisable  to  cause  increased  fluorescence 
in  order  to  make  indistinct  handwriting  readable.  Accord- 
ing to  experiments  made  by  R.  B.  Haselden,  San  Marino, 
California,  anthracene  (Ci^H^q) >  which  is  perfectly  harmless, 
when  applied  to  paper,  causes  it  to  fluoresce  strongly. 26 
Anthracene  solution  is  applied  to  the  reverse  side  of  the 
paper  with  a  soft  camel-hair  "brush.   Vhen  the  alcohol  in 
the  solution  has  evaporated,  it  leaves  the  anthracene  in 
a  crystalline  solution.  When  the  ultra-violet  light  is 
thrown  upon  the  paper,  it  causes  the  whole  leaf  to  fluor- 
esce.  The  previously  invisible  ink,  however,  obstructs 
the  fluorescence  of  the  portion  of  the  paper  where  it 
rests,  thus  making  the  handwriting  visible  to  the  photo- 
graphic camera. 27 

According  to  L.  Bendikson,  Henry  E.  Huntington  Library, 
San  Marino,  California,  writing  obliterated  by  ink  stains, 
of  the  same  ink,  may  be  made  legible  by  making  a  photo- 
static print,  either  from  the  original  or  from  a  photo- 
static negative,  of  the  ink-stained  material  through  a 
Wratten-Wainwright  G-filter,  under  ordinary  conditions. 
This  process  usually  cannot  be  successfully  applied  to 
manuscripts  that  have  certain  lines  purposely  obliterated. 28 

The  same  writer  further  states  that  in  the  case  of  super- 
imposed corrections  sometimes  infra-red  rays  may  be  success- 
fully used.   By  the  use  of  infra-red  radiation,  it  is 
sometimes  possible  to  exclude  the  entire  visible  spectrum 
through  the  use  of  a  Wratten-Wainwright  infra-red  filter 

^^This  information  was  taken  from  E.  B.  Haselden,  Scien- 
tific  Aids  for  the  Study  of  Manuscripts,  p.  40.   (The 
filters  listed  under  No.  1  are  manufactured  "by  the 
Corning  Glass  Company,  Corning,  N.  Y.  ;  No.  2,  "by  the 
Hanovia  Chemical  A  Manufacturing  Company,  Newark,  N.J.; 
No.  3,  "by  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company). 

^^R.  B.  Haselden,  Ibid. ,  pp.  64-65. 
27iMd_. 

L.  Bendikson,  "Phototechnical  Problems:   Some  Results 
Obtained  at  the  Huntington  Library,"  The  Library  Journal, 
Vol.  57,  pp.  789-790.     -20- 


PALEOGRAPHY 


NumlDer  87,  under  a  500-watt  Mazda  flood  light. 


29 


VHiether  manuscripts  themselves  are  to  be  studied  or  photo- 
static enlargements  are  to  "be  used,  the  work  will  "be  greatly- 
facilitated  "by  the  use  of  certain  measuring  instruments. 
Such  instrujnents  are  especially  useful  in  ascertaining 
whether  or  not  a  series  of  manuscripts  is  in  the  same  hand- 
writing, a  difficult  task  when  attempted  without  mechanical 
aids.  Furthermore,  the  use  of  these  measuring  instruments 
helps  the  student  to  detect  certain  individiial  character- 
istics of  a  writer,  which  generally  aid  in  the  identifica- 
tion of  handwriting  wherever  it  may  "be  found.  *^^ 

Handwriting  experts  have  studied,  developed,  and  used 
precise  instruments  of  this  kind.   One  of  the  most  useful 
of  these  is  a  four-inch  rule  on  glass  divided  into  8ths, 
16ths,  32nds,  and  64ths  of  an  inch.   Glass  rulers  are  of 
great  advantage  inasmuch  as  they  can  "be  placed  directly 
over  the  handwriting  to  be  measured.  A  diagonal  line  docu- 
ment measure  has  slightly  divergent  fine  lines  ruled  on 
glass,  measuring  from  l/lOOO  to  120/l000  of  an  inch.   This 
instrument  is  read,  with  the  aid  of  a  hand  viewer  or  a 
microscope  from  the  inside  of  one  line  of  gradation  to  the 
inside  of  the  opposite  line.   It  is  useful  for  the  accur- 
ate measurement  of  pen  strokes.   A  special  ruled  protractor  • 
designed  for  the  easy  and  accurate  measuring  of  the  slant 
of  handwriting  consists  of  a  glass  plate  which  reads  to 
one-half  of  a  degree  to  right  or  left  of  vertical.   The 
Curve-meter  is  an  instrumental  on  glass  for  the  measure- 
ment of  curves  and  turns  and  connections  in  handwriting. 
The  test  plate  on  glass  for  measuring  proportions  is  an 
instrument  consisting  of  a  series  of  equi-distant  sind  par- 
allel vertical  lines,  with  horizontal  lines  in  the  spaces 
"between,  of  varying  distances  apart;  it  is  graduated  from 
4/28  to  24/128  of  an  inch.   It  is  used  to  show  the  propor- 
tions of  letters  and  parts  of  letters.   Various  other  in- 
struments are  availa"ble  which  may  be  used  in  reading  manu- 
scripts accurately. 32 

^^Ibid. .  pp.  790-794. 

"^'^Albert  S.  Osborn,  (Questioned  Documents  ,  1929;  C.  Ains- 
worth  Mitchell,  Documents  and  the  ir  Scientific  Examina- 
tion, 1935;  R.  B.  Haselden,  Scientific  Aids  for  the 
Study  of  Manuscripts,  1935. 

'^■'•Designed  by  Albert  S.  Osborn. 

'^'^Measuring  instruments  may  be  obtained  from  Mr.  Albert  S. 
Osborn,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  who  perfected  all  those  describ- 
ed here  and  others.       -21- 


CHAPTER  III 
PROCEDURE  IN  TRAMSLATIOH 


Accuracy  and  readability  are  the  foremost  aims  of  the 
translator  of  Spanish  historical  documents.  Any  procedure 
that  makes  for  a  maximum  of  these  qualities  is  acceptable. 
The  procedure  that  we  advance  hereinafter  is  presented  be- 
cause it  is  one  that  has  been  used  successfully  for  several 
years.   It  consists  of  four  operations. 

The  first  and  most  important  operation  is  reading  the 
document  twice.   The  first  reading  is  hurried — for  meaning, 
not  for  detail;  any  word  not  immediately  legible  is  ignored. 
The  second  reading  is  a  careful  analysis,  subjecting  each 
word  not  readily  deciphered  to  adequate  natural  eind  artifi- 
cial light. -^  At  the  same  time,  each  unfamiliar  word  is 
noted  and  a  satisfactory  definition  obtained  before  the 
translator  begins  to  write.  While  reading,  notice  is 
taken  of  points  where  long  sentences  of  involved  Spanish 
structure  may  be  broken  without  altering  the  meaning.   The 
place  where  the  Spanish  sentence  finally  ends,  being  seldom 
marked  by  a  period  and  often  by  no  puncttiation  at  all,  is 
especially  noted  by  the  translator. 

The  second  operation  consists  of  writing  a  first  draft 
translation  of  the  whole  document.   Here  the  translator's 
chief  problem  is  good  sentence  structure,  retaining  at  the 
same  time  the  specific  idea  conveyed  and  the  flavor  of  the 
original  document.   The  writer  of  Spanish  official  communi- 
cations tends  to  employ  a  single  sentence  for  the  seune  pur- 
pose that  a  writer  of  English  employs  a  paragraph,  that  is, 
to  cover  a  single  topic.   Thus,  one  official  Spanish  sentence 
may  contain  numerous  dependent ,  independent ,  and  parentheti- 
cal clauses  and  often  covers  one  or  more  full  pages.   Obvi- 
ously, this  structure  cannot  be  retained  literally  without 
creating  an  effect  of  oddness  never  intended  by  the  writer. 

Spanish  sentence  structure,  however,  does  not  require 
changing  merely  because  it  is  long.   Occasionally  a  sentence 
may  retain  its  construction  with  definite  advantage  to  the 
translation.  Perhaps  in  an  effort  to  retain  the  elusive 
flavor  of  the  original,  translators  sometimes  attempt  to 

^For  a  discussion  of  the  difficulties  of  reading  manu- 
scripts and  for  aids  in  deciphering  them,  see  Chapter  II. 

-22- 


PROCEDURE  IN  TRAMSLATIOM 

carry  over  the  complicated  construction..   In  the  majority 
of  cases,  not  only  is  the  flavor  lost,  "but  the  translation 
turns  out  to  be  awkward,  stilted,  often  inaccurate,  and 
occasionally  utterly  unintelligible. 

VThen,  in  the  judgment  of  the  translator,  it  is  deemed 
advisable  to  change  the  construction  of  a  long  sentence, 
he  must  do  so  without  altering  the  original  idea.   The 
exact  points  at  which  the  original  sentence  may  be  broken 
up  is  a  matter  to  be  decided  entirely  by  the  translator,  and 
no  set  rule  can  "be  followed. 

A  change  in  the  position  of  appositive  or  attributive 
matter  should  "be  mentioned  in  this  connection,  although, 
strictly  speaking,  it  is  not  a  change  in  construction.   It 
is  customary  in  Spanish  historical  documents  to  place  attri- 
butes before  the  noun,  whereas  in  English  they  generally 
follow  the  noun.   For  instance,  it  is  not  uncommon  to  read 
lines  like  this:  ...  el  tenient  coronel  de  las  tropas 
destinadas  a  la  f rontera  Don  Simon  de  Herrera.  A  correct 
translation  of  this  line  should  be:   "Lieutenant  Colonel 
Don  Simon  de  Herrera,  commander  of  the  troops  assigned  to 
the  frontier." 

It  is,  as  we  have  seen,  impossible  to  set  down  a  general 
rule  for  recasting  sentences,  since  personal  taste  or 
preference  may  differ  greatly  on  this  matter.   The  con- 
struction of  the  following  sentence  may  be  changed  in  va- 
rious ways  without  altering  the  meaning  of  the  original: 
i  2 

Haviendoseme  presentado  ci jilosamente  una  persona 
3 
desente  de  este  lugar  haciendome  presente  hallarse  en  pe- 

ligro  de  perder  su  vida,  ^  honor  a  causa  de  la  mala  versa- 

cion  que  positivamente  ha  advertido  en  su  matrimonio  con  el 

Ext range ro  Jose  Maria  Rafael  de  la  Trinidad  de  la  &arza, 

4  5 

^  por  no  ser  publico ,  queriendo  tomar  el  remdio  mas  propio 

]£_   cristiano  me  pidio  justicia  reservada  para  eVitar  el  es- 

6 
candalo,  j[_   siendo  un  caso  de  necesidad,  he  tenido  abien  (no 

7 
hallando  otro  arvitrio)  darle  parte  a  V.  S_.  ,  para  que  en 

-23- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

su  consecuencia  si  lo  tubiere  a  bien  le  suplico  se  digae 

manadarme  selo  conduzca  al  Puesto  que  tenga  bien  V .  S .  de 

8  e 
esa  Provincia,  para  evitar  una  desgracia,  _^  3^  para  conse- 

guirlo  solo  tirandolo  muy  distante  de  este  suelo ,  como  me 

lo  ha  pedido  la  parte :  0  l£  que  V.  S_.  halle  por  combeniente^ 

The  following  translation  of  this  sentence  is  deemed 
acce-otable  because  it  closely  approaches  the  goal  of  accura- 
cy and  readability.   The  corresponding  changes  are  indi- 
cated by  numbers. 

2  1 

"A  respectable  person  from  this  settlement  appeared 

3 
secretly  before  me  and  reported  that  he  was  in  danger  of 

losing  his  life  and  honor  because  of  illicit  relations  he 

has  noticed  positively  exist  between  his  wife  and  a  foreig- 

4 
ner,  Jos^  Marid  Rafael  de  la  Trinidad  de  la  G-arza.   Since 

5 
it  is  not  publicly  known,  and  wishing  to  apply  the  most 

adequate  and  Christian  remedy,  he  requested  me  to  render 

6 
judgment  in  private  in  order  to  avoid  a  scandal.   Inasmuch 

as  this  is  a  case  of  necessity  and  finding  no  alternative, 

7 

I  have  seen  fit  to  report  the  matter  to  Your  Lordship.   In 

view  thereof,  if  I  may  be  permitted  to  do  so,  I  beg  Your 

Lordship  to  order  me  to  send  him  to  any  post  in  that  province 

which  Your  Lordship  may  wish  in  order  to  avoid  a  tragedy; 

8 

and  to  accomplish  this  (purpose  1  ,  he  should  be  sent  to  some 

place  a  long  distance  away  from  this  soil,  as  the  interested 


^Francisco  Velasco  to  Nemesio  Salcedo,  January  25,  1808, 
Spanish  Archives  of  Texas,  MS.   The  University  of  Texas. 

-24- 


PROCEDURE  IN  TRANSLATION 

party  has  requested;  or  Your  Lordship  [may  order j  whatever 

else  may  be  deemed  advisable." 

In  this  translation,  the  long  sentence  in  Spanish  has 
been  broken  up  into  four  sentences  of  medium  length  in 
English.   As  shown  by  number  2,   we  did  not  open  the  first 
sentence  with  the  same  word  or  construction  found  in  the 
original.   Instead,  we  changed  the  position  of  the  subject 
una  persona  and  made  an  independent  out  of  a  dependent 
clause.   The  first  sentence  could  be  further  divided  into 
two  separate  sentences  by  substituting  a  period  for  the  con- 
junction. When  changing  the  construction,  it  is  often  neces- 
sary to  leave  out  the  conjimction  as  shown  by  numbers  4 
and  6.   Not  always  is  it  essential  to  change  the  construc- 
tion of  a  dependent  clause,  as  shown  by  number  5.   If,  in 
number  7,  the  preposition  para  were  translated  and  the 
construction  were  retained,  the  translation  would  be  ex- 
tremely awkward.   Consequently,  for  the  sake  of  smoothness, 
the  preposition  was  dropped  and  a  sentence  initiated.   Con- 
junctions may  be  dropped  or  added  in  changing  the  construc- 
tion.  Any  connective  word  or  phrase  which  is  added  to 
clarify  the  meaning  of  the  original,  such  as  the  inclusion 
of  an  ellipsis  in  the  translation,  however,  should  be 
enclosed  in  brackets. 

In  the  third  operation  the  translator  meets  the  problems 
of  meaning,  choice  of  words,  figures  of  speech,  idioms,  and 
■untranslatable  words.   A  true  understanding  of  the  exact 
meaning  of  the  word  as  used  in  the  document  is  essential  at 
this  stage  of  the  translation.  Not  always  are  words  used 
with  their  current  meaning.   It  would  be  sheer  folly  to  in- 
sist on  translating  every  word  with  only  the  meaning  given 
it  in  the  dictionary  without  taking  into  account  the  special 
significance  attributed  to  it  by  the  writer  of  the  original. 
For  instance,  in  the  sentence:   Los  habitantes  siembran  ta- 
baco,  maiz ,  ^  algod6n.  El  cultivo  de  estos  ramos  se  aumen- 
tar^  si  el  rey  comura  la  semilla.   The  word  ramos  should 
certainly  be  translated  "branches,"  according  to  the  dic- 
tionary. Yet,  according  to  the  meaning  attributed  to  the 
word  in  this  sentence,  one  should  certainly  translate  it  as 
"crops."   It  is,  therefore,  clear  that  one  must  not  only  be 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  meaning  of  the  word  but  also 
with  the  meaning  given  it  by  the  writer. 

In  the  choice  and  order  of  words  to  be  used  in  the 
translation,  one  must  exercise  painstaking  care.   The 

-25- 


HA/<DBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

greatest  difficulty  lies  in  the  selection  of  the  closest 
correspondents.   Only  too  often  one  encounters  words  in  the 
original  which  have  only  an  approximate  correspondent  in 
English;  some  have  no  correspondent  whatever.   The  problems 
of  non-correspondence,  imperfect  correspondence,  and  il- 
lusory correspondence  are  atly  discussed  by  Postgate,'^  who 
uses  in  his  illustration  the  figures  of  Schopenhauer 
("Porerga  und  Poralipomens,"  Kap.  25),  which  are  also 
adopted  by  Tolman  (The  Art  of  Translating) .   In  Schopen- 
hauer's figures,  words  are  represented  by  circles  with  the 
same  area,  which  may  be  concentrically  superposed  over  each 
other;  words  coinciding  in  mesming  only  in  part  may  be 
shown  by  intersecting  circles;  terms  whose  meanings  have 
nothing  in  common,  as  circles  that  lie  wholly  outside  each 
other. 4  Certain  words  in  Spanish  original  docujnents  have 
no  equivalent,  even  in  a  remote  way,  in  English.   These 
words  should  be  retained  in  their  original  form,  unless 
the  translator  can  coin  new  English  terms  for  them.   In 
cases  where  any  doubt  as  to  the  degree  of  correspondence  of 
words  exists,  the  original  should  be  placed  in  brackets 
next  to  its  translation. 

The  order  of  words  should  be  rearranged  if  necessary  to 
retain  the  emphasis  of  the  original.   It  is  an  error  slav- 
ishly to  follow  the  word  order  of  the  original  where  such 
procedure  does  violence  to  the  stress  placed  upon  the  thought 
by  the  writer.   One  must  keep  in  mind,  too,  the  fact  that 
there  are  differences  in  national  modes  of  accentuation.^ 
The  order  of  words  may  be  changed  in  any  way  deemed  necessary 
to  express  the  idea  in  English  except  in  cases  where  the 
goal  of  accuracy  would  be  most  closely  approached  by  retain- 
ing the  peculiar  construction  of  the  writer,  as  in  letters 
written  by  uneducated  persons,  who  could  barely  read  and 
write.   One  should  not  construe  readability  to  mean  the 
translation  of  every  word  exactly  as  written  in  the  orig- 
inal and  in  the  same  order.   Readability  is  a  term  applied 
to  the  smoothness  of  style  in  translation. 

Figures  of  speech  should  be  retained  whenever  possible. 
It  is  true  that  metaphors  or  similes  which  are  adequate 
in  one  language  are  sometimes  unbearable  in  another.   In 
such  cases,  then,  it  may  be  necessary  to  change  the  figure. 
This  t^T^e  of  obstacle,  however,  occurs  but  rarely  in  Spanish 
J.  P.  Postgate,  Translation  and  Translations ,  pp.  38-46. 
Ibid. ,  p .  41. 
^Herbert  Gushing  Tolnan,  The  Art  of  Translating,  pp.  55-61. 

-2i- 


PROCEDURE  IN  TRANSLATION 


historical  documents,  which  are  usually  official  in  character. 

Idioms  occur  frequently.   The  frequency  of  their  occur- 
rence progresses  as  one  descends  the  scale  of  military,  civil, 
or  religious  rank.   Sergeants,  corporals,  and  privates  make 
more  extensive  use  of  idioms  than  do  commissioned  officers. 
Likewise,  rsmchmen  and  farmers  generally  use  more  idioms 
than  merchants  or  civilian  officers;  and  parish  priests  make 
more  use  of  them  than  "bishops.   The  translation  of  idioms 
involves  extremely  vexing  problems .   Three  questions  are 
asked  "by  the  translator:   Should  an  idiom  "be  translated 
"by  a  corresponding  idiom?   Should  the  words  of  the  idiom 
"be  translated  as  given?  Should  the  idea  alone  "be  trans- 
lated?  If  the  words  of  the  idiom  alone  are  given,  the 
resulting  translation  will  pro"ba"bly  be  meaningless.   For 
instance,  the  Spanish  idiom,  Aquf  hay  gato  encerrado ,  if 
translated  literally,  would  be  "Here  there  is  a  cat  locked 
in."   If  the  same  idiom  is  translated  by  a  corresponding 
idiom,  "There  is  a  nigger  in  the  woodpile,"  the  flavor 
of  the  original  may  be  altogether  lost.   In  this  case,  which 
is  a  good  example  of  the  type  \inder  consideration,  whereas 
the  Spanish  idiom  is  ixniversal,  the  corresponding  English 
idiom  has  a  regional  value.   The  expression,  "There  is  a 
nigger  in  the  woodpile,"  is  chiefly  Southern;  and  there  is 
no  assurance  that  it  was  used  contemporaneously  with  the 
Spanish  idiom.   If  the  idea  alone  is  translated,  the  flavor 
of  the  original  is  altogether  lost.   The  translator  may 
decide  for  himself  which  of  these  three  methods,  or  any 
other,  he  will  use  in  translating  idioms. 

It  is  preferable  in  the  translation  of  idioms  to  make 
use  of  a  combination  of  those  mentioned  above.   Idioms 
should  be  divided  into  two  general  classes:  universal 
and  provincial.   Whenever  an  idiom  is  known  to  be  universal, 
or  when  it  is  so  obvious  that  the  average  reader  can  arrive 
at  the  correct  translation  without  assistance,  the  corres- 
ponding idiom  should  be  given;  e.g.  ,  De  pies  a^  cabeza, 
"From  head  to  foot."   In  this  idiom,  as  in  many  others  of 
this  class,  the  idea  is  expressed  differently  since  the 
survey  commences  with  the  feet  and  ends  with  the  head.   In 
the  English  idiom,  the  survey  commences  with  the  head  and 
ends  with  the  feet.   Nevertheless,  neither  in  "Spanish  nor 
in  English  are  these  idioms  local;  and  they  are  generally 
acknowledged  to  be  correspondents  of  each  other.   In  the 
translation  of  provincial  idioms,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is 
more  accurate  not  to  give  a  corresponding  idiom;  it  is  ad- 
visable, instead,  to  translate  the  words  of  the  original, 

-27- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


enclosing  them  in  quotation  marks,  and  to  give  a  corres- 
ponding idiom  as  a  footnote.   In  the  translation  of  the 
idiom,  aqui  hay  gato  encerrado,  therefore,  we  should  ren- 
der "Here  there  is  a  cat  locked  in."l  As  a  footnote,  we 
should  then  supply :1  Cf.   "There  is  a  nigger  in  the  wood- 
pile." 

In  the  fourth  operation,  the  translator  should  set  aside 
the  original  and  work  on  the  translation  itself  for  smooth- 
ness of  expression  and  readability.  The  exact  meaning  of 
the  original  should  by  this  time  be  clearly  established, 
and  any  change  in  construction  or  phraseology  should  be 
such  that  the  meaning  is  in  no  way  impaired.   Books  contain- 
ing synonyms,  antonyms,  idioms,  as  well  as  other  aids  may  be 
profitably  employed  in  rendering  a  smoothly  readable  final 
copy.  Extreme  care,  however,  should  be  exercised  in  the 
use  of  synonyms  when  translating  historical  documents  which 
are  to  be  used  as  primary  sources;  it  is  often  advisable 
to  retain  the  same  correspondent  -unless  the  original  itself 
mak:es  use  of  synonyms.   It  is  true  that  this  procedure 
often  results  in  a  monotonous  version,  particularly  in  the 
translation  of  diaries,  journals,  and  itemized  reports, 
but  it  insures  accuracy.   In  translations  which  are  edited 
for  publication,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  essential  to 
make  use  of  synonyms  as  well  as  any  other  device  that  will 
insure  smooth  translation,  and  brackets  should  seldom  be 
used. 

In  summarizing  the  foregoing  remarks  on  the  procedure 
of  translation,  then,  it  may  be  stated  that  this  method, 
which  has  proved  its  merit  through  constant  use  for  a  per- 
iod of  several  years,  consists  of  four  operations: 

1.  Reading  the  document  twice. 

2.  Making  a  first  draft  translation. 

3.  Checking  each  word  of  the  translations  with  its 
correspondent  in  the  original. 

4.  Putting  the  document  aside,  and  working  on  the 
translation  to  achieve  smoothness  of  style. 

Hereinafter  a  sample  of  the  application  of  this  proce- 
dure is  presented.   Only  two  paragraphs  have  been  taken  from 
a  long  document  as  these  seem  to  furnish  a  brief  and  ade- 
quate model. 

-28- 


PROCEDURE  IN  TRANSLATION 
71r8t  Operation:  Beading  the  Manuscript. 


^^ 


-29- 


HANDBOOK   FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF   SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

Transcription: 

El  punto  de  Abasto  de  las  tropas  de  esta  Prov.    es  de 
tal  consideracion  que  hallo  de  mi  deber  hablarle  a  V.  S_.  en 
el  particular  para  que  se  sirva  emplear  sus  asertadas  provi- 
dencias  Agotados  todos  los  re  curses  de  esta  Prov.  ^  y  la  de 
Coahuila  que  son  ae  mi  cargo  apenas  tendre  viveres  para  dos 
meses  pero  sin  mulas  ni  Garros  en  que  conducir  a,  sus  des- 
tines ][   no  dudo  que  con  motive  de  la  mortandad  de  mulas  q.  ® 
han  experimentado  los  Arrieros  conductores  de  Arinas  se  re- 
traigan  a  entrar  enadelante  a  este  remoto  pais. 

Dexar  a  la  casual i dad  este  ramo  tan  necesario  a.  la  ex- 

istencia  de  las  tropas  no  puede  ser ,  j  no  hallo  etro  adbi- 
trio  que  ocurrir  a  la  Superior  autoridad  de  V_-  ^-  q"^-6  es  la 
q.®  solo  puede  venzer  unas  dif icultades  que  me  cues tan  los 
mayores  deshelos ,  y_  o cupan  xma  gran  parte  del  tpo  ■  no  con- 
siguiendo  este  hien  servido  el  ramo  en  el  que  apesar  de  mi 
ef icacia  a  havido  partida  que  ha  carecido  algun  tpo.  de  ra- 
cion  por  falta  de  recuas  _^  dif icultades  de  los  Gamines. 

Second  Operation:   Making  a  first  draft  translation. 

The  first  point  where  the  long  opening  Spanish  sentence 
may  be  broken  lies  between  the  words  providencias  and  Ageta- 
dos;  a  period  may  well  be  placed  there.   Therefore,  this 
sentence  is  tentatively  translated: 

"The  matter  of  provisions  for  the  auxiliary  troops  of 
this  province  is  of  such  importance  that  I  find  it  my  duty 
to  speak  to  Your  Lordship  about  it  in  order  that  [Your 
Lordship]  may  issue  your  wise  measures  (thereon^  ." 

The  next  complete  sentence  may  easily  end  with  the  word 
destines .   The  conjunction  _^  is,  therefore,  eliminated  and 
a  period  put  in  its  place.   Then  this  sentence  is  translated, 
"Inasmuch  as  all  the  resources  ef  this  province  and  of  Goah- 
uila,  which  are  under  my  care,  are  exhausted,  I  will  hardly 
have  supplies  for  two  months,  but  no  mules  or  wagons  on 
which  to  transport  them  to  their  destination." 

The  last  sentence  in  this  paragraph  is  translated:   "I 
have  no  doubt  that,  because  of  the  mortality  of  mules  that 
has  been  experienced  by  the  muleteers,  flour  transporters, 
they  will  refrain  in  the  future  from  entering  this  remote 
country. " 

-30- 


PROCEDURE  IN  TRANSLATION 


The  first  sentence  of  the  second  paragraph  is  readily 
selected  "by  substituting  a  period  for  the  conjunction  £. 
"To  leave  to  chance  this  "branch,  which  is  so  necessary  to 
the  existence  of  the  troops,  cannot  be." 

Continuing  to  read  the  original,  a  break  in  the  thought 
is  noted  between  the  words  tp3.  and  no;  and,  therefore,  a 
period  is  placed  at  that  point.   One  now  wonders  if  the 
first  sentence  in  this  paragraph  should  have  been  extended 
to  this  point.   One  reasons,  however,  that  a  short  sen- 
tence in  this  case  is  more  emphatic  because  it  translates 
the  feeling  expressed  by  the  original.   In  place  of  the 
connective  £,  which  was  eliminated  upon  translating  the 
first  sentence,  the  connective  "Consequently"  is  placed,  as 
it  is  believed  this  word  conveys  the  idea  of  result  ex- 
pressed by  the  original.   Thus  this  sentence  is  translated: 
"Consequently,  I  find  no  other  alternative  than  to  appeal 
to  your  superior  office  which  alone  can  overcome  difficul- 
ties that  cost  me  the  greatest  loss  of  sleep  and  occupy  a 
great  part  of  my  time." 

The  final  sentence  is  now  translated:   "I  have  not  suc- 
ceeded in  keeping  this  branch  [Of  the  service]  well  sup- 
plied; despite  my  diligence  there  have  been  parties  which 
have  been  without  rations  for  a  time  because  of  the  lack 
of  mule  trains  and  the  difficulties  of  the  roads." 

Third  Operation:   Check  each  word  or  phrase  in  the  trans- 
lation with  its  correspondent  in  the  original. 

In  this  operation,  the  process  is  reversed  and  the  word 
or  phrase  of  the  translation  is  compared  with  its  corres- 
pondent in  the  original. 

Upon  comparing  the  first  phrase:   "The  matter  of  provi- 
sions..." with  its  correspondent  in  the  original,  El  punto 
de  abastos .  it  is  found  that  the  word  "provisions"  is  not 
an  exact  correspondent  of  abastos.   Close  examination  of  the 
term  abastos  discloses  the  fact  that  it  is  derived  from 
the  Latin  bastus,  sufficient,  and  the  Greek  bastadso.  to 
transport.   It  is  seen,  therefore,  that,  according  to  its 
roots,  the  term  abastos  should  convey  a  combination  of  the 
ideas  of  sufficiency  and  transporting.   Consequently,  the 
word  "provisions"  is  changed  to  the  phrase  "supplying 
provisions. " 


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HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


Continuing  with  this  comparison,  no  difficulty  is  en- 
countered until  the  expression  "...to  speak  to  Your  Lord- 
ship sbout  it..."  is  reached.   The  pronoun  "it"  here 
stands  for  el  particular;  hut  this  version  does  not  indi- 
cate accxirate  translation.   Therefore,  "it"  is  changed  to 
"the  matter." 

The  next  obstacle  worthy  ci"  attention  is  the  translation 
of  "may  issue"  for  se_  sirva  emplear.   It  is  true  that 
emplear  means  "to  employ"  and  not  "to  issue,"  hut  in  English 
one  "issues"  and  not  "employs"  a  measure  or  an  order.  The 
addition  of  the  term  "thereon"  in  brackets  completes  the 
idea  of  the  original  in  the  translation. 

In  using  the  adjective  "wise"  to  translate  asertadas  the 
subtle  flattery  implied  in  the  original  has  been  borne  in 
mind;  the  terms  "adequate,"  "proper,"  or  "well-directed" 
would  be  an  approximate  but  not  so  accurate  a  translation. 

No  difficulty  worth  noting  is  encountered  until  the  noun 
"office,"  in  the  second  paragraph,  which  translates  the 
term  autoridad  is  reached.   Unquestionably,  there  is  an  ap- 
parent discrepancy  here,  for  "office"  and  autoridad  cannot 
be  said  to  have  the  same  meaning,  according  to  definitions 
given  by  dictionaries.   The  term  "office,"  is  retained  how- 
ever, because,  according  to  the  context  of  the  original,  in 
this  case  "office"  and  autoridad  have  a  corresponding  mean- 
ing. 

The  next  expression  that  arouses  suspicion  is  "loss  of 
sleep,"  which  is  given  for  desvelos.   The  verb  desvelar . 
from  which  the  noun  desvelo  is  derived,  means  "to  stay  awake," 
but,  in  this  case,  it  is  difficult  to  find  a  useful  word  to 
substitute  for  the  cumbersome  phrase  "to  stay  awake."  Of 
course,  "sleeplessness,"  or  "wakefulness,"  both  awkward, 
could  perhaps  be  employed;  but  in  such  a  case  the  adverb 
"greatest"  would  have  to  be  changed  to  "much."   If  the  ad- 
verb is  thus  changed  an  additional  inaccuracy  will  be  given, 
for  the  force  of  los  mayor es  would  be  lost  by  substituting 
for  it  mucho,  or  "much."   Therefore,  a  phrase  that  will  re- 
tain the  force  and  meaning  of  the  original,  "loss  of  sleep." 
is  adopted. 

As  one  continues  with  the  examination  of  each  word  of 
the  translation  and  its  correspondent  in  the  original,  no 
further  trouble  is  encoimtered.   Therefore,  the  original  is 

-32- 


PROCEDURE  IN  TRANSLATION 


put  away  and  the  fourth  and  final  operation  of  this  proce- 
dure is  undertaken. 

Fourth  Operation:  Working  on  readability. 

The  translation  has  now  reached  the  following  form: 

"The  matter  of  supplying  provisions  for  the  auxiliary 
troops  of  this  province  is  of  such  importance  that  I  find 
it  my  duty  to  speak  to  Your  Lordship  about  the  matter  in 
order  that  [Your  Lordship j  may  issue  your  wise  measures 
[thereon]...   Inasmuch  as  all  the  resources  of  this  province 
and  of  Coahuila,  which  are  under  my  care,  are  exhausted, 
I  will  barely  have  supplies  for  two  months,  but  no  mules  or 
wagons  on  which  to  transport  them  to  their  destination.   I 
have  no  doubt  that,  because  of  the  mortality  of  mules  exper- 
ienced by  the  muleteers,  flour  transporters,  they  will  re- 
frain in  the  future  from  entering  this  remote  country. 

"To  leave  to  chance  this  branch,  which  is  so  necessary 
to  the  existence  of  the  troops,  cannot  be.   Consequently, 
I  find  no  other  alternative  than  to  appeal  to  your  superior 
office,  which  alone  can  overcome  difficulties  that  cost 
me  the  greatest  loss  of  sleep  and  occupy  a  great  part  of  my 
time.   I  have  not  succeeded  in  keeping  this  branch  [Of  the 
royal  service]  well  supplied;  despite  my  diligence,  there 
have  been  parties  which  have  been  without  rations  for  a 
time  because  of  the  lack  of  mule  trains  and  the  difficulties 
of  the  roads." 

In  the  first  sentence,  although  the  word  "find"  is  the 
exact  correspondent  for  hallo ,  it  does  not  seem  to  fit  into 
the  thought  of  the  sentence.   The  expressions,  "I  find  it 
necessary,"  and  "I  deem  it  my  duty,"  are  well  known,  there- 
fore, the  definition  of  both  verbs  "to  find,"  and  "to  deem" 
is  examined  in  an  unabridged  dictionary  of  the  English  lan- 
guage.  After  comparing  definitions,  the  conclusion  is 
reached  that  "deem"  is  more  accurate  and  more  readable  in 
this  case. 

Further  on,  the  expression  "about  the  matter"  is  encoun- 
tered, and  the  fact  is  at  once  noted  that  "the  matter"  was 
used  to  initiate  the  sentence.   In  order  to  avoid  the  repe- 
tition, therefore,  the  word  "matter"  is  changed  to  "duty" 

in  the  first  instance. 


■33- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


In  the  second  sentence  a  weak  reference  is  noted  in  the 
antecedent  of  the  clause  "which  are  under  my  care."   Since 
it  is  obvious  that  it  is  the  provinces  and  not  the  resources 
which  are  under  the  writer's  care,  "the  province  of"  is  add- 
ed in  brackets  to  indicate  the  proper  reference. 

In  this  sentence  also  an  elliptical  construction  is 
noted  after  the  conjunction  "but."  The  words  "I  will  have" 
might  be  supplied  in  brackets,  but,  in  this  case,  the  con- 
struction is  stronger  with  the  ellipsis,  and  the  meaning 
of  the  original  is  not  altered.   Therefore,  the  ellipsis  is 
retained. 

The  third  sentence  is  smooth  enough  and  any  change  might 
violate  the  idea  of  the  original.  Nevertheless,  the  apposi- 
tive  "flour  transporters"  at  first  glance  gives  the  reader 
the  impression  of  the  beginning  of  a  series.   The  reader  is 
unconsciously  compelled  to  read  the  appositive  and  the 
principal  noun,  "the  muleteers"  twice.   This  effort  on  the 
part  of  the  reader  indicates  a  need  for  revision.   Therefore, 
the  connective  "or"  is  inserted  in  brackets;  and,  as  a 
person  who  engaged  in  transporting  supplies  at  the  time  the 
original  was  written  was  known  as  a  "freighter,"  the  term 
"freighter"  is  substituted  for  "transporter." 

The  first  sentence  in  the  second  paragraph  is  clear  and 
emphatic,  except  for  the  word  "branch."  As  we  know,  how- 
ever, that  the  writer  is  discussing  the  duty  of  furnishing 
supplies  to  the  troops,  and  that  this  duty  is  performed  by 
the  quartermaster's  department,  which  was  a  branch  of  the 
royal  service,  we  add  in  brackets,  "of  the  royal  service." 
This  addition  aids  in  understanding  the  full  meaning  of 
the  word  "branch,"  as  used  in  this  document.   This  device 
is  used  again  in  the  third  sentence. 

The  last  sentence  reads  smoothly  to  the  end  of  the  first 
clause.  As  soon  as  we  pass  the  semicolon,  however,  an 
undefinable  vagueness  clouds  our  perception.   Changing  a 
word  or  two  would  hardly  improve  the  style.   Therefore,  we 
recast  the  remainder  of  the  sentence  until  we  get  the 
following  clause:   "...  there  have  been  parties  which,  de- 
spite my  diligence  have  been  without  rations  for  a  time 
because  of  the  lack  of  mule  trains  and  the  difficulties  of 
the  roads." 

Now  that  the  four  operations  of  this  procedure  have  been 

-34- 


PROCEDURE  IN  TRANSLATION 


examined,  the  following  finished  translation  is  presented: 

"The  duty  of  supplying  provisions  for  the  auxiliary 
troops  of  this  province  is  of  such  importance  that  I  deem 
it  my  duty  to  speak  to  Your  Lordship  about  the  matter  in 
order  that  Your  Lordship  may  issue  your  wise  measures 
[thereonj.   Inasmuch  as  all  the  resources  of  this  province 
and  of  [the  province  of]  Coahuila,  which  are  under  my  care, 
are  exhausted,  I  will  "barely  have  supplies  for  two  months, 
"but  no  mules  or  wagons  on  which  to  transport  them  to  their 
destination.   I  have  no  doubt  that,  because  of  the  mortality 
of  mules  experienced  by  the  muleteers,  (Orj  flour  freighters, 
they  will  refrain  in  the  future  from  entering  this  remote 
country. 

"To  leave  to  chance  this  branch  [Of  the  royal  service], 
which  is  so  necessary  to  the  existence  of  the  troops,  can- 
not be.   Consequently,  I  find  no  other  alternative  than  to 
appeal  to  your  superior  office,  which  alone  can  overcome 
difficulties  that  cost  me  the  greatest  loss  of  sleep  and 
occupy  a  great  part  of  my  time.   I  have  not  succeeded  in 
keeping  this  branch  [Of  the  royal  service]  well  supplied; 
there  have  been  parties  which,  despite  my  diligence,  have 
been  without  rations  for  a  time  because  of  the  lack  of 
mule  trains  and  the  difficulties  of  the  roads." 


-35- 


CHAPTER  IV 
SPECIAL  AIDS 


In  this  chapter  are  listed  several  groups  of  special 
aids  which  may  lead  the  student  to  shortcuts  in  working 
out  his  translation. 

1.   Standardized  expressions.   In  translating  Spanish 
historical  docvunents  there  are  a  num'ber  of  words,  phrases, 
and  expressions  which  occur  so  frequently  that  it  is  desir- 
able to  establish  a  standard  way  of  translating  them.  For 
instance,  if  the  translator  encounters  the  words  dicho.  suso- 
dicho ,  citado,  referido ,  and  mencionado  in  a  document,  about 
half  way  down  the  page  he  may  find  that  he  has  translated 
them  all  with  the  same  English  word  ("said,"  for  example). 
On  the  other  hand,  he  may  discover  that  the  first  time  he 
came  to  the  word  su so dicho  he  translated  it  as  "said"  the 
next  time  as  "aforesaid"  or  "above-mentioned,"  and  so  on. 
Hence  it  is  desirable  to  work  out  some  system  whereby  the 
translator  may  endeavor  to  standardize  his  work  and  at  the 
same  time  not  dilute  the  language  of  the  Spanish  author. 
The  most  common  of  these  stock  words,  phrases,  and  expres- 
sions have  been  listed  below,  with  a  suggested  standardized 
translation  for  each.   The  reader  will  note  that  in  many 
cases  the  same  form  of  the  word  has  been  retained  in  English. 
This  is  because  usage  has  brought  these  terms  into  English 
dictionaries,  and  consequently  there  is  no  need  for  the 
student  to  attempt  a  periphrastic  translation  when  the  word 
is  already  defined  for  him  in  English.   By  using  these  terms 
the  translator  can  accomplish  a  great  deal  toward  retaining 
the  flavor  of  the  original.   It  is  to  be  understood,  of 
course,  that  these  terms  need  not  necessarily  be  restricted 
to  the  one  word  or  phrase  given,  for  the  same  Spanish  ex- 
pression may  have  a  variety  of  meanings,  depending  upon 
what  the  context  calls  for,  but  the  subjoined  lists  may  be 
helpful  under  ordinary  conditions.   Furthermore,  the  reader 
should  bear  in  mind  the  facts  that  these  lists  are  merely 
suggestive,  that  they  are  not  all-inclusive,  and  that  they 
may  and  should  be  greatly  expanded. 


-36- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


a.  Stock  Spanish  Words,  With  Their 
English  Equivalents 


Spanish  —  English 
A 

ataca  —  abacd 
acequia  —  ace qui a 
acuerdo  —  opinion 
adi6s  —  adios 
adobe  —  adobe 
agraciado  —  grantee 
aguacate  —  aguacate 
aguador  —  aguador 
aguamiel  —  aguamiel 
aguardiente  —  aguardiente 
alameda  —  alameda 
dlamo  —  alamo 
albino  —  albino 
alcalde  —  alcalde 
alcaldfa  —  alcaldia 
alcana  —  alcanna 
alcatraz  —  albatross 
alcazar  —  alcazar 
aldeano  —  villager 
alfalfa  —  alfalfa 
alforja  —  alforja 
algarroba  —  algarroba 
alguacil  —  alguacil 
almud  —  almud 
alpaca  —  alpaca 
altos  —  promontories 
amole  —  amole 
anaconda  —  anaconda 
anchoa,  anchova  —  anchovy 
antecedente  —  foregoing 
anil  —  anil 
aparejo  —  aparejo 
araucaria  —  araucaria 
armada  —  armada 
armadillo  —  armadillo 
arrastre  —  arrastre 
arriero  —  arriero 
arroba  —  arroba 
arroyo  —  arroyo 


Spanish  —  English 


atabal  —  atabal 
atole  —  atole 
audiencia —  audiencia 
auto  —  writ 
aviso  —  aviso 

ayuntamiento  —  ayuntamiento 
azotea  —  azotea 
B 

bacalao  —  bacalao 
balboa  —  balboa 
balsa  —  balsa 
banana  —  banana 
bando  —  proclamation 
barricada  —  barricade 
barrio  —  barrio 
bastonada  —  bastinado 
belduque  —  belduque 
blanquillo  —  blanquillo 
bolero  —  bolero 
bolivar  —  bolivar 
bolo  —  bolo 
bonanza  —  bonanza 
brocado  —  brocade 
biifalo  —  buffalo 
burro  —  burro 

C 
caballa  —  cavalla 
caballada  —  caballada 
cabildo  —  cabildo 
cacao  —  cacao 
cacique  —  cacique 
caiman  —  cayman 
calabacilla  —  calabazilla 
calabozo  —  calaboose 
caliche  —  caliche 
camarilla  —  camarilla 
canibal  —  cannibal 
canoa  —  canoe 
cantina  —  cantina 


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HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


Canada  —  Canada 
can6n  —  canon 
capitancillo  —  suljchief 
capibara  —  capybara 
capote  —  capote 
carpeta  —  carpeta 
carreta  —  carreta 
carrizo  —  carrizo 
carromata  —  carromata 
casabe  —  cassava 
cascarilla  —  cascarilla 
cascar6n  —  cascaron 
cebaldilla  —  sabadilla 
cedilla  —  cedilla 
c^dula  —  cedula 
centavo  —  centavo 
centime  —  centime 
cibolo  —  bison 
cincha  —  cinch 
citado  —  cited 
coca  —  coca 
cocobolo  —  cocobolo 
cochinilla  —  cochineal 
cog6n  —  cogon 
colibri  —  colibri 
comandante  —  commandant 
c6ndor  —  condor 
conquistador  —  conquistador 
contrahierba  —  contrayerva 
copaiba  —  copaiba 
copal  —  copal 
coquina  —  coquina 
Cordillera  —  cordillera 
c6rdoba  —  cordoba 
corral  —  corral 
corregidor  —  corregidor 
Cortes  —  Cortes 
coyote  —  coyote 
coyotillo  —  coyotillo 
criollo  —  Creole 
cTiaderno  —  cuaderno 
cuadrilla  —  cuadrilla 
cuadrillero  —  cuadrillero 
cuarter6n  —  quadroon 
cuartilla  —  cuartilla 


cuartillo  —  cuartillo 
cuatralbo  —  with  stocking 
feet 
CH 
chamiza  —  chamiso 
chamizal  —  chamisal 
chapapote  —  chapapote 
chaparral  —  chaparral 
chaparreras  —  chaps 
chapote  —  chapote 
chicalote  —  chicalote 
chicle  —  chicle 
chilacayote  —  chilacayote 
chile  —  chili 
chinchilla  —  chinchilla 
chocolate  —  chocolate 
chuf  a  —  ch\if  a 

D 
dicho  —  said 
diligencias  —  proceedings 
dobl6n  —  doblon 
don,  dona  —  don,  dona 
duena  —  duena 

S 
ejido  —  ejido 
embargo  —  embargo 
encina  —  encina 
encomendero  —  encomendero 
encomienda  —  encomienda 
enchilada  —  enchilada 
enmendado  —  corrected 
enunciado  —  stated 
escribsmo  —  escribano 
escribiente  —  escribiente 
escritura  —  instnoment 
eslab6n  —  eslab6n 
esparto  —  esparto 
expediente  —  expediente 
expresado  —  before-mentioned 

I 
fandango  —  fandango 
fiesta  —  fiesta 
filibustero  —  filibuster 
finca  —  finca 
fiscal  —  fiscal 


-38- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


flotilla  —  flotilla 

frijol  —  frijol 
G 

gachupfn  —  gachupln 

gale6n  —  galleon 

gandul  —  brave 

gaucho  —  Gaucho 

gracioso  —  gracioso 

grama  —  grama 

granadilla  —  granadilla 

gringo  —  gringo 

guaco  —  guaco 

gii^charo  —  guacharo 

guanaco  —  guanaco 

guano  —  guano 

guaya"ba  —  guava 

guerrilla  —  guerrilla 

H 
ha'bilitaci6n  —  paymaster's 

"bureau 
habilitado  —  paymaster 
habitante  —  inhabitant 
hacendado  —  hacendado 
hacienda  —  hacienda 
henequ^n  —  henequen 
hurac^n  —  hurricane 

I 
iguana  —  iguana 
fndigo  —  indigo 
infrascrito  —  undersigned 
instancia  —  petition 
interino  —  acting 

J 
jabalf  —  javelina 
jalapa  —  jalap 
Jornada  —  Jornada 
jurisdicci6n  —  jurisdiction 
juzgado  —  court 

L 
lagarto  —  aligator 
laguna  —  lagoon 
lazo  —  lasso 
licenciado  —  licentiate 
lila  —  lilac 
lobo  —  lobo 


loco  —  loco 
lugar  —  village 

M 
madrono  —  madrono 
maguey  —  maguey 
mamey  —  mamey 
manada  --  manada 
mango  —  mango 
manta  —  manta 
mantilla  —  mantilla 
mascabado  —  muscovado 
matador  —  matador 
mayordomo  —  majordomo 
melocot6n  —  melocoton 
mencionado  —  above-mentioned 
merino  —  merino 
mescal  —  mescal 
mestizo  —  mestizo 
metate  --  metate 
mezquite  —  mesquite 
milpa  —  milpa 
mojonera  —  marker 
morador  —  dweller 
morro  —  morro 
mosquito  —  mosquito 
mulato  —  mulatto 

N 
nominado  —  named 
nopal  —  nopal 

0 
ocelote  —  ocelot 
ocote  —  ocote 
oficio  —  official  letter 
olla  —  olla 

P 
padre  —  padre 
paisano  —  civilian 
pampa  —  pampas 
p^pano  —  pompano 
pampero  —  pampero 
panada  —  panada 
panetela  —  panetela 
panocha  —  panocha 
papaya  —  papaya 
paraje  —  place 


-39- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


paramo  —  paramo 

parcialidad  —  tribe 

patata  —  potato 

patio  —  patio 

pecadillo  —  peccadillo 

pedregal  —  pedregal 

pe6n  —  peon 

petate  —  petate 

peyote  —  peyote 

picador  —  picador 

picaresco —  picaresque 

picar6n  —  picaroon 

pil6n  —  pilon 

piloncillo  —  piloncillo 

pimienta  —  pimenta 

pimiento  —  pimiento 

pinole  —  pinole 

pinto  —  pinto 

pina  —  pina 

pin6n  —  pinon 

piragua  —  piragua 

platina  —  platina 

plaza  —  plaza 

potlador  —  settler 

poncho  —  poncho 

posole  —  posole 

presbitero  —  preshyter 

presidio  —  presidio 

pronunciamiento  —  pronuncia- 

mento 
pulque  —  pulque 
puna  —  puna 

9. 

quebracho  —  quebracho 
quetzal  —  quetzal 
quina  —  quinine 
quincenario  —  fortnightly 
quintal  —  quintal 

R 
rancherfa  —  rancheria 
ranchero  —  rancher 
rancho  —  ranch 

rayado  —  marked  through 
reata  —  lariat 


rebozo  —  rebozo 

referido  —  afore-mentioned 

regidor  —  regidor 

remonta,  remuda  —  remuda 

renegade  —  renegade 

reo  —  defendant 

repartimiento  —  repartimiento 

residencia  —  residencia 

retono  —  ratoon 

ria  —  ria 

r6balo  —  robalo 

rodeo  —  rodeo 

S 
salina  —  salina 
sarape ,  zarape  —  serape 
sargazo  —  sargasso 
seguidilla  —  seguidilla 
senalado  —  indicated 
senor,  senora,  senorita — 

senor ,  senora,  senorita 
sierra  —  sierra 
siesta  —  siesta 
silo  —  silo 
sindico  —  sfndico 
solano  —  solano 
Sucre  —  Sucre 
susodicho  —  aforesaid 

T 
tabaco  —  tobacco 
tachado  —  crossed  out 
tamal  , —  tamale 
tamarindo  —  tamarind 
tango  —  tango 
tapadera  —  tapadera 
tapioca  —  tapioca 
tarantula  —  tarantula 
tasajo  —  tasajo 
temblor  —  temblor 
tendej6n  —  tende j6n 
teocalf  —  teocalli 
tequila  —  tequila 
tilde  —  tilde 
tomate  —  tomato 
toreador  —  toreador 


-40- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


tornado  —  tornado 
tortilla  —  tortilla 
tost6n  —  toston 

V 
vainilla  —  vanilla 
vale  —  valid 
vecindad  —  commimity 
vecino  —  resident 
vega  —  vega 
vell6n  —  vellon 


vicuna  —  vicxma 
vfveres  —  provisions 
vizcacha  —  viscacha 

Y 
ynca  —  yucca 

Z 
zapote  —  sapota 
zapotillo  —  sapodilla 
zarzaparrilla  —  sarsaparilla 


-41- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


b .  Stock  Spani sh  Phrases ,  With  Their 
English  Equivalents 

asistencia,  de  —  attest  (con  los  testigos  de  asis- 
tencia,  con  quienes  actuo  a  falta  de  escribano 
que  no  le  hay  como  previene  el  derecho  —  with 
attendant  witnesses,  with  whom  I  am  acting  in 
the  absence  of  a  notary,  for  there  i3  none  as 
prescribed  by  law) 

auto  de  fe  —  auto-de-fe 

bienes  de  comunidad  —  community  property 

Cabildo,  Justicia  y  Regimiento  —  Miinicipal  Corpor- 
ation 

capitan  de  indios  —  Indian  chief 

cdscara  sagrada  --  cascara  sagrada 

citado,  ya  —  above-cited 

como  dicho  es  —  as  aforesaid 

compania  volant e  —  mobile  company 

Cordillera,  por  —  by  relays 

correo  ordinario  —  regular  mail 

cuenta  a  medias  —  joint  account 

dia  cl^sico  y  festive  —  customary  holiday  (d£as 
fecha  — days  from  date;  d£as  vista  —  days  from 
sight) 

diario  de  novedades  —  diary  of  events 

ejercicios  y  evoluciones  —  drills  and  maneuvers 

en  el  exterior  —  abroad  (en  reales  —  in  c?sh;  en 
este  papel  comun  por  no  haberlo  de  ningun  sello  - 
on  this  ordinary  paper,  for  no  stamped  paper  is 
available;  en  vista  de  ello  —  in  view  thereof) 

entre  renglones  —  interlined 

escribsuio  de  Su  Majestad  —  royal  notary 

f e ,  de  que  doy  —  in  witness  whereof  I  certify 

firmo,  lo  —  I  affix  my  signature  hereon 

ganado  cabal lar  —  horses  (ganado  de  cerda  —  hogs; 
ganado  de  pelo  —  goats;  ganado  mayor  —  ganado 
mayor  (horses,  mules,  asses,  cows,  oxenj ;  ganado 
menor  —  ganado  menor  [Sheep  and  goats j;  ganado 
merino,  ganado  ove juno  ' —  sheep) 

indio  de  armas  —  warrior 

junta  de  guerra  —  council  of  war 

libro  de  asiento  —  register  (libro  de  govierno  — 
administration  book) 

notas  de  medidas  —  field  notes 

ocho  dias  —  week 

olla  podrida  —  olla  podrida 

-42- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


orden  -de  pago  —  disbursement  voucher 

palo  bianco  —  palo  bianco  (palo  verde  —  paloverde) 

para  que  conste  —  in  witness  thereof  (para  su  in- 

teligencia  —  for  your  information) 

partida  que  reconoce  —  reconnoitering  party 

pasa  a  enf rente ,  pase  a  la  vuelta  —  carried  forward 

por  la  de  enfrente  —  brought  forward 

Provincias  Internas  —  Interior  Provinces 

pr6ximo  pasado  —  last  (month,  year) 

quince  dlas  —  fortnight 

Rfo  Bravo,  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte,  Rio   de  las  Palmas ,  Rio 

del  Norte  —  Rio  Grande 
seguro  servidor  —  faithful  servant 
sin  novedad  —  without  unusual  incident 
vale,  no  —  void 

valija  de  adentro  —  mail  from  the  interior 
visita  general  —  general  visitation 
visto  bueno  —  approval 

2.  Expressions  with  special  meanings.   In  addition 
to  the  standardized  words,  phrases,  and  expressions 
listed  above,  there  are  a  number  of  words  and  expressions 
which  have  been  found  in  the  context  of  certain  docu- 
ments to  call  for  special  meaning  not  usually  given  in 
dictionaries.   Furthermore,  some  of  these  expressions  are 
not  defined  at  all  in  the  standard  Spanish  dictionaries. 
The  list  is  given  below: 

abrevadero  —  watering  place  for  cattle 

acomodar  medicinas  —  to  compound  medicines 

acta  de  juramento  —  oath  of  allegiance 

agregado  —  new  settler 

agua  celeste,  agua  pluvial  —  rain  water 

agua  profuente  —  running  water 

agua  viva  —  spring  water  (flowing) 

agua  diurna  —  water  flowing  during  the  day  only 

agua  nocturna  —  water  flowing  during  the  night  only 

agua  perenne  —  water  that  flows  day  and  night  \inceasingly 

agua,  real  de  —  real  of  water  (running  through  a  pipe 

the  size  of  a  real] 
aguaje  —  waterhole 
sihl  te  estds  —  child  of  a  no  te  entiendo  and  an  Indian 

woman 
aisladero  —  chute  for  animals  to  reach  a  river;  a  nar- 
row, highwalled  passageway  or  similar  device  for  hold- 
ing or  restraining  animals 

-43- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


altarrazado  —  child  of  a  gibaro  and  an  Indian  woman 

albortsmtes  —  branches  of  a  candlestick 

alcavata  —  hook,  hinge  shaped  like  a  hook 

alf^rez  —  army  officer  with  approximately  the  rank  of 

a  second  lieutenant 
andullo  —  tobacco  twist 
arrancar  —  to  run  away 
baldfo  —  unclaimed 
balia  —  raft 
bayeta  —  baize 

bayeta  de  Castilla  —  Castilian  baize 
bayeta  de  Alconcher  —  Colchester  baize 
bayeta  fajuela  —  Lancashire  baize 
bayeta  minguina  —  long  baize 

bayeta  del  sur,  bayeta  de  cien  hilos  —  white  list  baize 
bayeta  fina  —  swanskin 
bilache  —  village 
binera  —  flask 
bronco  —  bronco 
bueyada  —  herd'  of  oxen 

calpan  mulata  — -child  of  a  zambo  and  a  mulatto  woman 
cambijo  —  child  of  an  albarrazado  and  a  negro  woman 
capichola  listada  —  striped  ribbed  silk 
capichola  morada  —  purple  ribbed  silk 
capichola  negra  —  black  ribbed  silk 
capichola  rosada  -•-  rose  ribbed  silk 
carabinero  —  internal  revenue  officer 
carneada  —  hunting  expedition 

castizo  —  child  of  a  mestizo  and  a  Spanish  woman 
cedral  —  cedarbrake 
collera  —  chain  linking  prisoners  together  to  prevent 

escape 
comadre  —  neighbor,  very  close  friend 
convenerit  de  jurisditione  omnium  judicum  —  it  should 

be  the  judgment  of  all  the  Judges 
cornualtar  de  Bretana  —  fine  linen  corner-piece 
cortar  caminos  —  to  reconnoiter  roads 
coyote  —  child  of  a  Spaniard  and  an  Indian  ( ssime  as 

mestizo) 
cuarto  de  alba,  de  modoi-ra  —  the  dawn  watch 
cuarto  de  prima  —  the  first  watch 
chaldn  (for  chalana)  —  ferry 
chamacuero  —  lean-to 
charquerfa  —  place  where  there  are  several  pools  of 

water 


-44- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


chimal  —  shield 

chino  —  child  of  a  salta  atr^s  or  to  ma  atras  and  an 
Indian  woman 

chupadero  —  place  where  cattle  lick  rocks  covered  with 
water  dripping  from  a  ledge 

de  —  about,  affording,  belonging  to,  "by,  hence,  in,  on, 
some 

de  adentro  —  from  east  of  San  Antonio,  Texas 

de  afuera  —  from  the  territory  between  San  Antonio 
and  Mexico  City 

desbarrancadero  —  slippery  place 

descuerpdera  —  skinning  (process  of  skinning) 

despenaqueria  —  group  of  large,  rough  rocks 

destiladero  —  spring  filtering  through  rocks 

empresario  —  man  who  contracted  with  the  Mexican  gov- 
ernment to  settle  a  given  number  of  families  on 
land  granted  him  for  that  purpose 

en  ala  —  in  parade  formation 

entiendo,  no  te  —  child  of  a  tente  por  el  aire  and  a 
mulatto  woman 

espaSol  —  child  of  a  castizo  and  a  Spanish  woman 

estadoimidense  —  of  or  pertaining  to  the  United  States 

extraviado  —  out-of-the-way 

fojas  utiles  —  written  pages 

Fondo  de  G'ratificaci6n  —  officer's  reserve  fund  (This 
fund,  supplied  by  the  king,  was  to  be  used  in  paying 
captains  a  certain  sum  over  and  above  their  regu- 
lar salary  if  they  maintained  their  company  at  its 
full  quota  and  maximum  efficiency.) 
Fondd  de  Mestenas  —  Mestena  Fund.  A  tax:  of  two  reales 
was  collected  for  every  head  of  wild  stock  captured 
in  the  Interior  Provinces  of  New  Spain,  especially 
in  Texas,  from  the  opening  of  the  nineteenth  century 
until  1821. 

Fondo  de  Propios  —  Propios  Fund  (A  portion  of  the  royal 
lands  adjoining  a  township  were  set  aside  and  as- 
signed to  the  town  council.   These  lands  were  to  be 
leased  to  the  highest  bidder  for  a  term  not  to  exceed 
five  years,  and  the  proceeds  were  used  to  defray 
the  corporation's  expenses.) 

generales,  las;  las  generales  de  la  ley  —  general  ob- 
jections to  testimony  of  a  witness,  or  general 
exemptions  from  testifying,  such  as  minority  of 
age,  friendship,  or  kinship  with  the  defendant, 
enmity  or  hatred  toward  anybody  involved  in  the 
case,  or  personal  interest  in  the  outcome  thereof. 

-45- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


gente  de  raz6n  —  white  people  (as  opposed  to  Indians) 

gente  franca  —  available  men 

gfbaro  —  child  of  a  lo"bo  and  a  mulatto  woman 

gratif icaci6n  de  mesa  —  allowance  for  "board 

hacer  el  corso  —  to  privateer 

hachuela  —  beads 

indiferente  —  miscellaneous 

in  solidum  —  jointly,  as  one 

inter  vivos  —  among  the  living  (applied  to  a  donation 
made  by  one  living  person  to  another  in  an  irrev- 
ocable manner) .   There  was  also  the  law  of  mortis 
causa  donations;  that  is,  those  which  did  not  be- 
come effective  until  after  the  death  of  the  donor. 

ir  a  clbolo  —  to  go  buffalo  hunting 

ir  de  carneada  —  to  go  hunting 

ir  de  remonta  —  to  go  after  fresh  horses 

juez  conservador  —  one  who,  by  special  commission,  has 
the  power  to  examine  injuries  and  offenses  committed 
against  churches,  monasteries,  convents,  and  regular 
or  secular  clergy 

juez  de  arribadaS  —  consular  agent 

juez  de  receptoria  —  delegate  judge 

lobo  —  child  of  a  chino  and  a  mulatto  woman 

machote  —  model 

mamel  —  papoose 

masa  —  amount  deducted  from  a  soldier's  salary  for 
clothing 

masita  —  record  book  of  the  salary,  clothing,  arms, 
and  equipment  of  a  soldier 

mestena —  head  of  wild  stock,  mustang  (when  referring 
only  to  horses) 

mezcalero  —  one  of  the  mescal  people  (so-called  from 
tl:eir  custom  of  eating  or  drinking  mescal)  ;  Apache 
Indians 

Mexico  —  Mexico  City 

monte  —  brush 

montoso  —  brushy,  wooded 

morisco  —  child  of  a  mulatto  and  a  Spanish  woman 

mujer,  mala  —  applied  to  several  kinds  of  weeds  or 
grasses  which  may  cause  death  or  discomfiture  to 
livestock,  chief  among  which  are  the  "Horse  Nettle" 
and  the  "VThite  Horse  Nettle." 

mulada  —  mule  herd 

naquisa  —  a  red  cape  two  varas  long  worn  by  Indians 

nav£o  de  permiso  —  licensed  trading  ship 

pagar  en  tabla  —  to  pay  cash  (to  pay  "spot  cash 
on  the  barrel  head") 

-46- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


pesca  de  pieles  —  fur  hunting 

pie  de  lista  —  muster  roll 

pierna  de  guangoche  —  tow  sack 

presidial  —  presidial  soldier 

practice  —  expert 

preguntas  generales  —  the  first  and  last  questions 

asked  in  every  interrogatory,  called  "generales" 

because  they  are  always  the  ssune 
preguntas  utiles  —  questions  regarding  the  case  under 

consideration 
propiedad  —  copyrighted 
pujos  de  sangre  —  dysentery 
rayadillo  —  a  striped  cotton  fabric 
recua  —  packtrain 
resultar  reo  —  to  he  found  guilty 
salta  atrds  —  child  of  a  white  family  who  has  negro 

characteristics  (a  "throwback") 
semita  —  small  round  loaf  of  bread 
sindico  procurador  —  attorney-general  of  a  town  or 

corporation 
s"uinaria  —  indictment 
tente  por  el  aire  —  child  of  a  calpdn  mulata  and  a 

zambo 
tierra  de  pan  coger  —  dry-farming  land 
tierra  de  pan  sembarar  —  wheatfield 
torna  atrds  —  child  of  a  white  family  who  has  negro 

characteristics  (same  as  salta  atr^s) 
totear  —  to  sick  a  dog 
traqueado  —  covered  with  tracks 
venir  que  ni  de  —  to  be  better  than 
viene  que  ni  de  molde  —  is  better  than  in  print 
villa  —  town  that  enjoys  peculiar  privileges  by 

charter 
Vuestra  Senorfa  —  Your  Lordship  (By  royal  order  this 

title  was  applied  to  any  officer  or  corporation 

empowered  to  issue  commissions  in  the  royal  service.) 
zambo  —  child  of  a  cambuj o  and  an  Indian  woman 
zambo  prieto  —  child  of  a  negro  and  a  zamba 

3.   Abbreviations,   a.  Classification  of  abbreviations. 
There  are  three  general  signs  of  an  abbreviation  in  Spanish; 
the  period,  the  dash,  and  superscript  letters:   In  more 
modern  documents,  especially  commercial  correspondence,  the 
dash  has  sometimes  been  modified  to  the  slant  (/)  on  the 
typewriter.   Abbreviations  are  formed  in  the  following  ways: 


-47- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPAKISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


1)  By  use  of  initial  letters.   The  first  system  to  "be 
employed  was  the  use  of  the  initial  letter,  followed  by  a 
period,  to  stand  for  a  whole  word.   (Example:   "L."  for 
"Licenciado") 

2)  By  suspension.   Complications  soon  arose,  however, 
because  many  words  began  with  the  same  initial  letter; 
hence  the  abbreviated  form  might  stand  for  any  one  of 
them.   Therefore  writers  began  to  add  other  letters  at 
the  beginning  of  the  word,  likewise  followed  by  a  period, 
to  differentiate  one  abbreviation  from  another.   This 
practice  was  known  as  "abbreviation  by  suspension". 
("Example:   "Lie."  for  "Licenciado") 

3)  By  contraction.   In  this  case  medial  letters  were 
omitted  and  a  dash  was  placed  over  the  word  to  indicate 
their  absence.   Typically  the  dash  replaced  the  period  in 
this  construction.   (Example:   "dho"  for  "dicho") 

4)  By  use  of  superscript  letters.   In  older  documents 
the  superscript  letters  were  employed  to  indicate 
omissions  within  the  word  ("psente"  for  "presente,"  for 
example) ,  but  as  a  rule  the  translator  will  find  them  used 
to  indicate  the  termination  of  abbreviated  words.   The  cus- 
tom was  to  place  the  first  few  letters  on  the  line  of  writ- 
ing and  the  final  letters  above  the  line,  with  a  period 
beneath.   (Example:   "L.^°"  for  "Licenciado") 

5)  By  use  of  special  symbols.   In  addition  to  the  vari- 
ous methods  explained  above,  there  also  existed  the  prac- 
tice of  using  special  symbols  to  stand  for  letters  or 
words.   For  example:   a  line  over  a  letter  indicated  the 
omission  of  an  "m"  or  "n" ;  "8^^®"  stood  for  "octubre"; 
"&"  symbolized  "etcetera";  and  so  on. 

b.  List  of  Abbreviations  Used  in  Spanish 
Historical  Documents 

Below  is  given  a  list  of  the  abbreviations  most  com- 
monly used  in  Spanish  historical  documents.   The  list  was 
compiled  chiefly  from  the  collections  of  original  Spanish 
manuscripts  upon  which  this  book  is  based;  some  printed 
sources  were  also  used. 

A 

A.  —  Alteza,  Aprobado       a,  aa  —  arroba,  arrobas 
a.  —  ^rea  a/  —  aceptaci6n 

(a)  —  alias  AA.  —  Autores,  Altezas 

-48- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


ab .  —  abad 

a/"b  —  a  bordo 

add.   —  audiencia 

a"b.   —  abril 

Abs.  gen.  —  absoluci6n 
general 

A.  C. ,  A.  de  C.  — Ano  de 
Cristo 

a/c  —  a  cuenta,  a  cargo 


admon  --  administracifin 

or 
adm.    —  administrador 

af.    —  afectlsimo, 
afectisimos 

af.to  __  afecto 

Ag.   —  Agustfn 
to 


ag. 


agosto 


allde.  —  alcalde 

0 

Al.   —  Alonso 

A.  L.  R.  P.  de  V.  M.  —a  los 
reales  pies  de  Vuestra 
Majestad 

Alv.°  —  Alvaro 

A.  M.  —  ante  meridiem, 

antes  de  mediodla 

0 

am.   —  amigo 
ana.  —  antlfona 
anac.  —  anacoreta 
ant.  —  anterior 
Ant.   —  Antonio 
A.   —  Alonso 


A.  I.  —  Alteza  Imperial 


al.   —  alteza 


a  la  v/  —  a  la  vista 
Ale.  ,  ale.    —  alcalde 
AleJ.   —  Alejaua'dro 


Alf .   —  Alfonso 


Alf.   —  alf^rez 

alg.  ,  alg.   —  alguna,  alguno 

alg.^  —  algun 


a. 

OS 

-  amigos 

Ap 

.  — 

apartado ,  apart 
ap6stol 

3 

ap 

ble 

ca 

> 

—  apreciable 

ap 

ap.   ,  aplica. , 
-  apostdlica,  ap 

aplico 
3st6lic( 

ap 

da 

—  apreciada 

Ap 

do  _ 

—  Apartado 

ap6st.  —  ap6stol 

Aptd.  —  Apartado 

1        . 
aq.   —  aquel 

A.  R.  —  Alteza  Real 


-49- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


art.,  art.°  —  artfculo 


arz.  ,  arzbpo.  —  arzo"bispo 

A.  S.  —  Alteza  Serenisima 

a.^  —  anos 

As.^,  Asist.^,  assa.  — 
asistencia 

at.°^°  —  atent£simo 

at.  °  —  atento 

aud.^,    audi.   —  audiencia 

aunq^.®  —  aimque 

aur.    —  haber 

a/v  —  a  la  vista 

Av. ,   Ave.    —  Avenida 

aynnt .   —  ayuntamiento 

B 

B.   —  Beato ,  Bueno 

B/  —  "bala 

"b/  —  "bulto 

Bar.^     —  BartolomI 


Barna.    —  Barcelona 
bastim.^  —  "bastimentos 
Bat  .^  —  "batall6n 
B.    C.    —  Baja  California 
Bca.    —  barrica 


benef.    —  beneficio 

Bern.      ,   Bern.      —  Bernardo 


B.L.P.    —  besa  los  pies 

B.nie  —  Bartolom^ 

B, 


^^  —   Beatlsimo 
°  —  Beato,  Baylio,  Beylio 
p.  —  Bendici6n  papal 
^  —  bachiller 


Brme.  —  BartolomI 

b.to  ~  bulto,  bruto 

0 

c.  —  caja,  ciudad, 

cuenta,  ciudadano 

C./.  C.^  —  caJa,  cuenta 

c.  —  capitulo,  ciudad 

c/  —  cargo,  contra,  cuento,con 

c  1/2  —  cuenta  a  medias 

C.  A.  —  corriente  alterna 

ca. ,  c.   —  compania,  carta, 

cebada 

caball.^  —  caballerfa 


caballia. 


caballerfa 


caballo.  —  caballero 


cant.   —  cant i dad 


-50- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


cap.  —  capital,  capftulo 
cap.''^  —  capitdn 
cap.°  —  capltulo 
capp.  —  capell£n 
Card.   Cardenal 
cas.  —  casas 
Cast.   —  Castilla 


Clem 


te 


—  Clemente 


olio.  —  cuartillo 

cm.  —  centimetre,  centi- 
metres 

c/m  —  cuenta  a  medias 

CM.    B.    —    cuyas   manos   beso 
en.    —   cuenta  nueva 


Co.  —  Compania 
„  0 


caxqte.  —  casquete 

c"bo.  —  cambio 

CC.  —  Ciudadanos 

C.  C.  —  corriente  continua 

C./C,  c/c  —  cuenta  corriente 

c/cta.  —  cuya  cuenta 

n     A^    J  n^^^^Tif^   A^    T^«,<™   com.®,  comand.   —  comandante 

C.  de  J.  —  Compania  de  Jesus        ' 


--  consejo 

col.,  col.^,  —  columna,  colo- 
nia 

com.  —  comercio 

,^,  coman.^  comand.^  — 
comandancia 

e 


com. 


I 


c/ent.  —  color  entero 

c^nts.  —  centimes 

cf.  —  confesor,  confi^rase, 
comf irma.  compare se 

c.  f.  y  —  cargo,  flete  y 

eg.  —  centigrame,  centigramos 

ego.  —  cargo 

la        ^, 

c.   —  compania 

ciud.   —  eiudad 
cl.  —  centilitre,  centilitres 

-51- 


cemis.",  com.   —  comisario 

cemp.,  comp.^  —  compania 

comp.®"  —  companeros 

conf .  ,  conf  .■^  —  confesor, 
cenfierase,  conf irma , 
comparese 

conocim.'to  —  conocimiento 
tas 


conq. 


—  cenquistas 


censgte.,  consig.''®  — 
censiguiente 

censig.  —  consignaci6n 


cligo.  —  cllrigo 


cons.   —  censeje 


UNIVERSITY  OF 
ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


Const.  —  Constituci6n 

const.   —  constancia 
te 


cons. 


—  constante 


const.   —  consitucional 

fp  fa 

conven.   ,  conv.   — 
conveniente 

te 
corr. ,  corr.   —  corriente 

C.  P.  B.  —  cuyos  pies  beso 

cps.  —  compafieros 

cvec.^   —  creciente 

cs.  —  cuartos,  c6ntimos 

^  ta        ,   /   ta   te 
c.   —  cuenta  (c.   c. 

c.  ^  corr.*®  —  cuenta 
ta   .   da 


D.  —  Don 

D.^  ~  Dona 

J  cha  J  cho    J    i_   J 

d.    ,  d.    —  derecha,  dere- 

cho,  dicha,  dicho 

DD.  —  doctores 

d.  de  J.  C.  —  despu^s 
de  Jesucristo 

Del.   —  Dilineavit,  dibujado 
por 

dep. ,  dep.   —  departamento 

desc.    —  descuento 

Desp.  —  Despacho 


corriente;  c.    sim.   —  desq.  —  desde  que 
cuenta  simulada;  cta/vta. 


—  cuenta  de  venta) 


te 


c.    —  corriente 

c.   —  cuarto,  cuanto 

cts.  —  cuartos,  centimes, 
centavos 


D.  F.  —  Distrito  Federal 

d.  f. ,  d/f ,  d/fha.  —  d£as 
fecha 

Dg.  —  decagramo,  decagramos 

dg.  —  decigramo,  decigramos 


c/u  —  cada 


uno 


cuad.  —  cuadrado ,  cuad 
rados 


dha.  ,  dho.  ,  dhas.  ,  dhos.  ,  dha. 
—  dicha,  dicho,  dichas, 
dichos 


cup, 


to 


—  cuplimiento 


c/v,  c/vta.  —  cuenta  de 
venta 

CH 
Chih.  —  Chihuahua 


dhamte.  —  derechamente 

e         s 
die. ,  die.   diligen.   —  diligen- 

cia,  diligencias 
din.°  —  dinero 
disp.°^  —  disposici6n 


-52- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


distr.  —  distrito 

Dl.  —  decalitre,  decalitres 


de  sp  s .  —  de  spu6  s 
dup.   —  duplicado 


dl.  —  decilitre,  decilitres    Duq.   —  duplicado 


dls.  —  d6lares 

Dm.    —   decametre,    dec^etres 


d.    V. ,    d/v  —   dfas  vista 


E 


dm.  —  decimetre,  decimetres;   E.  —  este  (east) 
decigramo,  decigramos 


d/m  —  dos  meses 

D.   —  Don 


,   ec.    —  eclesiast ica, 
eclesiastico 


do 
E.   —  estade 


d.^*^,    i.^^'^  —   docena,    docenas    EE.    UU.    —  Estados  Unidos 


D.      —  Diego,   Domingo 

doc.    —   docena 

doc.      —   dociimento 

Doct.    —  Doctor 

docum.   —  decixmento 

D.  0.  M.  —  Deo  Optimo  Maximo 

Dem.   —  Domingo 

dom.   dominge 

D.°^  —  deudor 


Ej.  —  ejemplo 

Em. ,  Em.^  Eminencia 

E.  M.  G.  —  Estade  Maj^or 
General 


Em. ,  Emmo.  —  Eminent Isime 
ENE.  —  estenordeste 

0 

en.   —  enero 

,°  —  entresuelo 
—  entretanto 


ent.-'-°,  entr. 


en 


to 


d/p  —  dias  plazo 


D  —  doctor 


—  dies 


E.  P.  D.  —  en  paz  descanse 
E.  P.  M.  —  en  prepia  mane 
ermit.  --  ermitane 


dra. ,  dro. ,  dras. ,  dros.  — 
derecha,  derecho,  dere- 
chas,  derechos 


escno.  —  escribano 

esc.  ,  esc^  —  escudo, 
escudos 


-53- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRAHSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


escrit.   —  escritura 


escrnia  —  escribanfa 


escrno.  —  escribano 
ESE.  —  estesudeste 
ESM.  —  estrecha  su  mano 


esno.  pbo.  —  escribano 
publico 

Esp.^  —  Espana 


espal.  —  especial 
esp.   —  espeuiol 

tU  y  .  . 

esp.   —  espintu 

Esq.  esquina 

Est.  —  estado 

est.    —  estimad? 

etc.  —  etcetera 

E.  U.  A.  —  Estados  Unidos 
Americanos 

0 

Eug.   —  Eugenio 

Evang.   —  Evangelic 

™     ta    „ 

Evang.   —  Evangelista 

Exc. ,  Exc.^  —  Excelencia 

Exc,'^^,  Excma.  ,  Ex.°^°,  Excmo , 
—  Excelentf sima,  Excel- 
entisimo 


1 

F.  —  Fulano,  firmado,  fe 

F.  —  fecha 

f/  —  f ardo ,  fardos 

f.  a.  b.  —  franco  a  bordo 

fact.^  —  factura 

da 
fav. ,  fav.   —  favorecido 

F.  C.  —  ferrocarril 


CO 


cos 


—  Francisco 


—  francos 


F.  de  T.  —  Fulano  de  Tal 

Feb. ,  feb.°  —  febrero 

F.  E.  M.  —  fuerza  electromo- 
triz 

Fern.^°,  Fern°  —  Fernando 

fha. ,  fho.  —  fecha,  fecho 


fhda.  —  fechada 


f.  ,  fol. ,  fo, 


--  folio 


Fr.  —  Fray,  francos 


f.    —  factura 


CO 


CO 


Fra.   ,  Fran.   —  Francisco 


Extos.  —  ejlrcitos 


Frnz.  —  Fernandez 
f.   —  francos 
fu.^  —  fuera 


-54- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


fund.    —   f-ondador 
Fz.    —  Fernandez 

G 
(x.   —  gracia 
g.    —  gramo ,   gramos 
g/  —  giro 
G-.      —  G-arcia 

g.        —  guarde 

dor 
g.    —  gobernador 

g.   —  guarde 

Gen.   —  general 


^°       A 

g.   —  genero 


gnal.  —  general 
gnl.  —  general 


gnros.  —  g^neros 


gnte.  —  gerente 


G.   —  Gonzalo 


Go"b.   —  gotierno 
Go"b.   —  gobernador 


Gonz.  —  Gonzalez 

Gr.  —  Ger6nimo 

gra.  —  gracia,  Garc£a 


Gral. ,  Grl.  —  general 

0 

Greg.   —  Gregorio 


grrs.  —  Gutierrez 

s 

gr.   —  gramos 

s 

g.   —  granos 

G.  T.  —  Gobernador  de  Texas 


grra.  —  guerra 


ta 


te 


—  goleta 


g.   —  gerente 


Gu.   —  Guatemala 


Guaxa.  —  Guadalajara 
gue .  —  guarde 

0 


Guill. 


Guillermo 


H.  —  Honrado 

h.  —  he 

da 
Hac.   —  Hacienda 

hect.  —  hectares,  hectareas 

her.^°^  —  hermanos 

Hg.  —  hectogramo,  hectogramos 

hh.  —  hechos 

HI.  —  hectolitre,  hectolitres 

Hm.  —  hect6metro,  hect6metros 


no 
H.    —  hermano 


-55- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


hoi.  —  holajidesa 
H.   —  nermanos 
Hrz.  —  Hernandez 
n.   —  hasta 


iahn.  —  Juan 
ib.  —  ibfdem 
fd.  —  fdem 


i.  e.  —  id  est,  esto  es 


igl.   —  iglesia 


iglia.  —  iglesia 


Ign.°  __  I 


gnac 1 0 


ihuxpo.  —  Jesucristo 
Ildef.   —  Ildefonso 


II.   —  Ilustre 


ma  TT  mo 


i 


inq^.°^,  inq.   —  inquisidor 

te 

intend.   —  intendente 

I.  P.  —  Indulgencia  plenaria 
it.  —  ftem 


da 


.do 


iz.   ,  iz.   ,  izqa.  ,  izqo.  , 

izqda. ,  izqdo.  —  izquierda 
izquierdo 


■to 
Jac.   —  Jacinto 

Jal.  —  Jalisco 

J.  C.  —  Jesucristo 

.0 

Jeron.   —  Jeronimo 


Jesuxpto.  —  Jesucristo 
J  H  S,  Jhs,  —  Jesus 


j .   —  Juan 


11.""^,  II."",  Illma.,  Illmo. 
— Illustrisima,  Ilustri- 
simo 

Imp.  —  Imprenta 

Indulg.  plen.  —  Indulgencia 
plenaria 

Ing.  —  Ingeniero 

in  p.  inf.  —  in  pl.rtibus 
infidelium 


John. —  Juan 
jph.  —  JosI 
juev.  —  jueves 
Jul.   —  Julian 


Ju. 


—  Juan 


just.   —  justicia 

K 
Kc.  —  Kilociclos 
k.  c.  —  kil6metros  cuadrados 


-56- 


SPECIAL   AIDS 


kg.,  kgs.  —  kilogramo,  kilo 
gramos 

kl.  —  kilolitre ,  kilolitres 

km.  —  kil6metro,  kil6metros 

km.   —  kil6metro  cuadrado 

kv. ,  k.  w.  —  kilovatio 

L 

L.    —   Licenciado 

L/   —   letra 

1-    —   le ,    ley,    litro,    litro, 
litros,    letra 

1.   a.    "b .    —   libre  a  "bordo 

It.,  Iba. ,  lbs.  —  libra, 
libras 


do 


Licenciado 


lib.  —  libra,  libro 
lib.   —  libra 


lib 


za 


—  libranza 
do 


Lie.  ,  lie.  ° —  Licenciado 
lin.  —  llnea 

liq.   —  liquidaci6n 

a 
11.   —  libra 


L.   —  Licenciado 

T       ZO         T 

Lor.   —  Lorenzo 

L.  (^.  —  lege .  quae  so;  lead, 
OS  lo  ruego 


L.  S.  —  Locus  sigilli .  lugar 
del  sello 

lun.  —  lunes 

M 

M.  —  Madre,  Magestad,  Merced, 
Maestro,  Mediano ,  metro, 
minutes,  muy 

m.  —  minute,  minutes,  metro 

m.  —  me,  maravedl 

m/  —  mes,  mi,  mis,  mfo  m£es. 
mililitres 

M.   —  Marfa 

mag.   —  majestad 


mana.  —  mane r a 


Man .   —  Manue 1 


man.  —  maHana 


Marg 


ta 


Margarita 


mart. ,  mart.   —  martes 
mart.   —  m^rtires 

m/ato.  —  muy  atento 

me         , 
may.    —  mayordome 


mayrs.  —  mayo res 
m/c  —  mi  cuenta 


meed.  —  merced 


cos 

m.    —  marces 


-57- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


M.   —  Madrid,  me  reed 
md.  —  merced 
m/d  --  meses  data 
m.    —  mando 

Q 

M.   —  Madre 

te 

med.    —  mediante 

a 

mem.   —  memoria 

meng  —  menguante 
met.  —  metro 

CO 

M^x. ,  M^x.    —  Mexico 

m/f  —  mi  favor,  me'ses  fecha 

m/  fha.  —  meses  fecha 

mg.  —  miligramo,  miligramos 

m/g  —  mi  giro 

M.  I.  —  Majestad  Imperial 


M.   —  Mari ,  Martin 
mierc.  —  milrcoles 


Mig.  ,  migl.  —  Miguel 
mil6s.  ,  mil^s.   —  mil^simos 
min.  —  Martin 


mines.  —  Martines 

0     ... 
mm.   —  ministro 

m/L,  m/l  —  mi  letra 


Mm.  —  miri&metro,  miri4metro3 

mm.,  m/m  —  millmetro,  milime- 
tros 

m/m.  —  m^s  o  menos 

m/n  —  moneda  nacional 

m.   —  mano ,  maestro,  monaste- 
rio 

m/o  —  mi  orden 

m/  om/  —  mds  o  menos 

monast.°  —  monasterio 

Mons.  —  Monsenor 

or 
m.   —  mayor 

m.°^  —  muchos 

m/p.  —  mi  pagarl 

M.  P.  S.  —  Muy  Poderoso  SeSor 

M.  R.  —  Majestad  Real 

mr.  —  mdrtir 

mrd.  —  merced 

Mm.  —  Martin 

Mrnz.  —  Martinez 

Mro.  —  Maestro 

mrs.  —  maravedises,  martires 

MS.,  M.  S.,  MSS.  —  manus- 
crito,  manuscritos 


-58- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


M.  —  marcos 

ms.  —  Martines 

m.  —  muchos 

m.  —  Majestad,  Martfn 

m/td.  —  mitad 

te 
m.    —  muerte 


zo 
m.   —  marzo 


N 


N.  —  norte,  notablemente 
aprevechado,  nombre 
desconocido ,  nuestro 

n.  —  noche 


n/  —  nuestro 


N.  S.   —  Nuestra  Senora 


N.  B.  —  Nota  bene ,  n6tese 
bien 

n/c  —  nuestro  cargo 

n/cta.  —  nuestra  cuenta 

HE.  —  nordeste 

N.   —  nombre,  notifiqu^ 
nitif  iq^ue 

n/f  —  nuestra  fecha 

n/g  —  nuestro  giro 

N.  L.  —  Nuevo  Le6n 

n/l  —  nuestra  letra 


"ME.    —  nornordeste 
NNO.  —  nornoroeste 
NO.  —  noroeste 
n.°  —  nlinero 

n/o  —  nuestra  orden 

..  io    ,0      .   . 
not.   ,  not.   —  notano 


no 


t.°^  —  notificaci6n 


nov.   —  noviembre 

Nov.  Recop.  —  Novfsima  Reco- 
pilaci6n 

n/p  —  nuestro  pagar^ 


nra. ,  nro. ,  nras. ,  nros.  — 
nuestra,  nuestro,  nues- 
tras,  nuestros 

,  ,   0     .   OS 

n\m.  ,  num.  ,  num. 

nllmero  ,  numeros 


0.  —  oeste 
o/  —  orden 


ob .  ,  obpo.  —  Obispo 

obs.  —  obscuro 
te 


Ob, 


obediente 


Oct.    ,  Oct.   —  octubre 


of.   —  oficio 


on.   —  onza 


-59- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

ONO.  —  oestenoroeste  P-  ej.  —  por  ejemplo 

onz.  ~  onza  penit.  —  penitente 

ord. ,  orn.  —  orden  P-^  P-  —  porte  pagado 

ordin.°  —  ordinario  perg.  —  pergamino 

org.  —  original  Pf • .  Pfs.  —  peso  fuerte, 

pesos  fuertes 
OGO.  —  oestesudoeste 


Pgd.  —  pulgada 


oz.  —  onza 


P.  M.  —  Padre  Maestro,  post 
p  meridiem,  de spues  de  me- 

dio dl  a 


P.  —  Papa,  Padre,  Pregimta 
p.  —  peniques,  para,  por 


no 
p.    —  pergamino 


P.  0.  —  por  orden 


P.  A.  —  por  ausencia,  por     p.°  —  Pedro 
Autorizaci6n 

p.   —  para 

.  .  ,    .  *    .  PoTd.   —  po'blaci6n 

pl,g.  ,  pags.   —  pagma,  pagmas 

r-  J  porq.    —  porque 

pagdo.    —  pagadero 

p^r.    -  p^rrafo  ^^^   ^'   ^'    "  P°^^^  ^^^ado , 

■^  ^  por  poder 


Part .    —  Partida 

Pass.   —  passim,    in  varios 

pat.,   patr.    —  patriarca 


p.  p.  —  por  pago 


p,  pdo.,  ppdo.  —  proximo 
pasado 


r 

p.   —  por 


pral.  —  principal 


ptro.  --  presbitero 

P/c. ,  p/cto.  —  por  ciento 

Prop.  —  Propiedad 

P.  D.  —  posdata  r 

p.   c.  —  por  cuenta 


e  ^ 

P.   —  Padre  Predo.,  Pre.  —  presidio 

-60- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


preg.      —  pregxintado 

presb.    —  presliftero 

0  . 

pres.      —  presents 


pu.   —  pueblo 


prgo.  —  preguntado 

priv.  —  privilegio 

Pro.  ,  Prov.  ,  prov. 
provincia 

proc.  —  procesi6n 

prof.  —  profesor,  profeta 

pr6l  —  pr6logo 


pror.  —  procurador 

prov.  ^  —  provisor 

pr6x.   —  pr6ximo 

P.  S.  —  Post  scriptum, 
posdata 

Ps.  Fs.  —  pesos  fuertes 

s 

p.   —  pesos 

P.  S.  M.  —  por  su  mandato 

ta 
p.    —  pasta 

tas 
p.    —  pesetas 

te 
p.   —  presidente,  parte, 

presente 
p. ■to  __  pieito 
Pue.  —  Puebla 


pxmo.  —  pr6ximo 

za 

p.    —  pieza 

P.  ,  —  por  ciento 

9. 

q.  —  que 

qbrar.  —  quebrar 

(^.  B.  S.  M.  —  que  besa 
su  mano 

Q,.   B.  S.  P.  —  que  besa 
sus  pies 

qdar.  —  quedar 

^.  D.  Gr.   —  que  Dios  guarde 

q.do  —  cuando 

e 
q.   —  que 

Q.  E.  G.  E.  —  que  en 
gloria  est^ 

Q.  E.  P.  D.  —  que  en  paz 
descanse 

q.  e.  s.  m.  —  que  estrecha 
su  mano 

q.  g.  g.  —  que  gloria  goce 

q.  ,  qls.  —  cual,  quintal, 
cuales,  quintales 

qmar .  —  quemar 

n 
q.   —  qui en 

-61- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


qq.  —  quintales 

qrer.  —  querer 

q.  s.  g.  h.  —  que  santa 
gloria  haya 

ta 
q.    —  cuenta 


quis.    —   quinientos 
R 

R.    —  Reverendo,   Reverencia, 
respuesta,    Reprovado, 
reales,   Rubrica 

a 

R.      —  Rubrica 

ca 

R.        —  Rubrica 

R) .    —  responds ,    respuesta 

R.   A.    —  Rep-lblica  Argentina 

1 
Raf.      —  Rafael 

Rbi.   —   recibf 


rbmos.   —   recibimos 


Repr.    —   representante 

ble 
resp.  —  re spe table 

resp.      —  respondi6 

ta  . 

resp.        —   respuesta 

to  .  . 

resp.        —   respecto,    respeto 

R.    I.   P.   —  Requi^scat   in 
pace,   en  paz  descanse 

r.      —  real 


R.  M.  —  Reverenda  Madre 


R.   —  Reverendf simo 


Rmrz.  —  Ramirez 

R.  0.  —  Real  Orden 

R.   —  Reverendo,  Rodrigo 

0 

r.  —  recto 

R.  p.  —  Reverendo  Padre,  res- 
puesta pagada 


R.  D.  —  Real  Decreto,  Repll-   R-  ?•  M.  --  Reverendo  Padre 


blica  Dominicana 

•  Reverenda  Madre 


R.^^  M. 

do 
R.   P.  —  Reverendo  Padre 

R.   —  recipe 

re.  —  recibf 

recept.   —  receptoria 

Reg.  —  Registrado 

Rep.  —  Republica 


Maestro 

r.  p.  m.  —  revoluciones  por 
minuto 

Rro.  —  Rodrigo 

R.  S.  —  Real  Servicio 

r.^  —  reales  (r.   v. 
reales  velldn) 

rs.  —  Rodriguez 

ta 
r.   —  renta 


-62- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


rdst.  —  rustica 

on  , 

R.  V.    —  reales  vellon 

S 

S.  —  San,  Santo,  Sobresa- 
liente,  sur 

1/  —  su,  sus ,  sobre 

S.^  —  Senora 

S.  A.  —  Su  Alteza,  Sociedad 
An6nima  (S.  A.  I.  —  Su 
Altezfl  Imperial;  S.  A.  R. 
—  Su  Alteza  Real;  S.  A. 

S.  —  Su  Alteza  Serenl- 

sima) 

s/a  —  su  aceptaci6n 

sab .  —  sabado 

sarg.    —  sargento 

s.  b.  c.  —  salvo  buen  cobro 
(s.  b.  f.  —  salvo  buen 
fin;  s.  b.  r.  —  salvo 
buen  recibo) 

Sbn.  —  Sebastian 

s.    —  septiembre 

S.  C.  —  su  casa 

s/c  —  su  cuenta,  su  cargo 

S.  C.  C.  R.  M.  —  Sacra,  Ces^ 
rea,  Catolica,  Real  Majes- 
tad 

SOKES.  —  Suae  sores 

s/cta.  —  su  cuenta 


S.  r.  —  se  despide  (S.  r.  M, 
—  Su  Divina  Maje^tad) 

SE .  —  sudeste 

secret.  —  secretaria 

do 


seg. 


segundo 


S.  en  C.  —  Sociedad  en  Coman- 
dita 

sept.®  —  septiembre 


Ser."^^,  Ser.'"".  Serma.  , 

Sermo,  —  Serenisima, 
Serenisimo 

serv.°  —  servicio 

serv.°^  —  servidcr 

set.®  —  setiembre 

S.  E.  u.  0.  —  salvo  error  u 
omisi6n 

s/f  —  su  flete,  su  favor 

s/fha.  —  su  fecha 

s/g  —  su  giro 

te 
sig. ,  sig.   —  siguiente 

sing.  —  singular 

s/l  —  su  letra 

S.  1.  n.  a.  —  sin  lugar  ni 
ano 

S.  M.~  Su  Majestad  (S.  M.  A. 
—  Su  Majestad  Apost6lica, 
S.  M.  B.  —  Su  Majestad 
Britanica;  S.  M.  C.  —  Su 


-63- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


Majestad  Catolica;  S.  M.  F.  S.  R.  M.  —  Su  Real  Majestad 

—  Su  Majestad  Fidelisima;  

S.  M.  I.  —  Su  Majestad  Im-  Srta.  —  Senorita 
perial) 


s/m  —  sobre  mi 


S.^  —  San 


S.  N.  —  Servicio  Nacional 
s/n  —  sobre  nosotros 
SO.  —  sudoeste 


s.  —  escribano 


s/o  —  su  orden 
Son.  —  Sonora 


SS. —  seguro  servidor 


S.  S.  —  Su  Santidad 

a 

S.  S.   —  Su  Senoria 


SS,  AA.  —  Sus  Altezas 
SSE.,  SS.  E.  —  sudsudeste 
SS.  MM.  —  Sus  Majestades 
SS.    —  Santisimo 


o^  no 

SS.   —  escribano 


SSO.  —  sudsudoeste 


Sor.  ,    Sores.    —   Serlor,    Senores 

S.    S.    S.    —    su  seguro    servidor 
s/p  —   su  pagar^ 
SS.    SS.    —   seguros   servidores 


Spna  —  Espana  ^ 

s.      —   San 

spre.    —   siempre 


Sptu.   —  espfritu 

S.^,    S.^^^  ~   Senor,    Senores 

s/r  —  su  remesa 


S.    —  Santa,  Senorita 

to 
S.    —  Santo 


Sue.  —  Sucursal 


sucio.  —  servicio 


Sra. ,  Sras.  —  Senora,  Senoras  

suido.  —  servido 

sre.  —  sobre 

sup.  —  suplica,  suplicante 

S.  R.  I.  —  Santa  Romana  Igle-       

sia  supertte.  —  superintendente 


I 


te 


Sria.  —  Secretaria  supl.    —  suplente,  suplicante 


ria    rio  — r~   — 7~  te       -,  .    ^ 

s.    ,  s.    ,  sria. ,  srio.  —   sup.   —  suplicante 

secretaria  secretario 


-64- 


I 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


T.  —  Titulo 
t .  —  tarde 


Tamps.  —  Tamaulipas 

Tel.®  —  tellfonos 

te 
ten.   —  teniente 

t^rm.   —  t^rmino 

0    . 
tes.   —  tesorero 


testmto.  —  testamento 

0 

test.   —  testigo,  testimonio 

fios 
t.    —  testigos 

tit.  ,  tit.°  —  titulo 


tldo.  ~  Toledo 


t.'^°,  t.°,  torn.  —  tomo 


I) 
t .   —  testimonio,  testigo, 

Toledo,  trigo,  Toritio 


toldo.  —  Toledo 
Ton.  —  tonelada 

tpo.  —  tiempo 

tra.  —  tierra 

1 
trib.   —  tribunal 

ts.  —  testigos 


U 


U. ,  Ud.  Uds.,  UU.  ~  usted 
ustedes 

u.  —  un 


T.  --  usted,  v^ases,  venerable, 
verslculo,  viuda 

V.  —  villa,  v^ase 

v/.  —  vista,  vapor 

v/ .  —  verslculo 

a  , , 

V.   —  Vigilia,  villa 

a 

V.   —  villa 


Vallid.  ~  Valladolid 

V.  A.  R.  —  Vuestra  Alteza 
Real 

s 
var.  —  varas 

d 
V.  B.   —  Vuestra  Beatitud 

v/c  —  vuelta  de  correo 

Vd.,  Vds.,  Vdes.  —  usted, 
ustedes 


v."^^  —  viuda 


vdd.  —  verdad 

V.  E.  —  Vuestra  Excelencia, 
Vuecencia 

e 

V.   —  vale 

0 

vec.   —  vecmo 


-65- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


Ver.  —  Veracruz 

Vers.°  —  Versiculo 

vg.  —  verbigracia,  virgen 

V.  g. ,  V.  gr.  —  verbigracia 

vgs.  —  vlrgenes 

Vict.   —  Victoria 


Vic. 


te 


—  Vicente 


Vic.   —  Vicario 

vier.  —  viernes 

virg. ,  vlrg.^  —  virgen,  vfr- 
genes 


Vlid.  —  Valladolid 

V.  M.  —  Vuestra  Majestad 

Vm. ,  Vmd.  —  vuestra  me reed, 
usted 

v.^  —  vellon 

v.°  —  vuelto,  vecino 


0    0 

V.   B.   —  vis  to  bueno 


vol.,  vols.  —  voliimen,  volii- 
menes 

V.  0.  T.  —  Venerable  Orden 
Tercera 

V.  P.  —  Vuestra  Paternidad, 
vale  por 

V.  R.  —  Vuestra  Reverencia 
vra. ,  vro. ,  vras. ,  vros.  — 

vuestra,  vuestro,  vues- 

tras,  vuestros 


Vs.  —  versus ,  contra 

vs.  —  vpras 

V.  S.  I  —  Vuesenorfa 
(Usfa)  Ilustrlsima 

V.  ^,  V.    —  vuelta,  vuelto 

te      .  ^ 
V.   —  vemte 

Vts.  —  voltios 

VV. ,  V.  V.  —  ustedes 


vzno.  —  vecino 
X 

X.  —  an6nimo ,  desconocido 

V  tre    ...   , 

X.    —  diciembre 


x.'"^  —  diezmo 


X.   —  Cristo 


xpiano.  —  cristiano 
Xpo.  —  CristD 


xpobal. ,  xpoval.  —  Crist6bal 


xptiano.  —  cristismo 


Xpto.  —  Cristo 


Xptobal.  —  Crist6bal 


Yuc.  —  Yucatan 
Y  —  Ilustrlsimo 


-66- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 

OTHER 

SYMBOLS 

-  5|r/ 

cinco  tres 

cuartos  onzas 

con 

0 

con,  cuen, 

cor 

-     9 

cruz 

cuatro  pesos  dos 

reales  y  un 

ciaarto 

diciembre 

—  IC" 

diecisiete 

pesos 

xm   real  dos 

grsinos 

-0I7„I^ 

diez  pesos 
dos  pesos 
est,  es 

-■C)Oio£0 
-■/ 

etcetera 

libras  est( 

mil 

noviembre 

srlinas 

octubre 

„ge  gire 

onza 
p^rrafo 

pesos 

--$ 

pesos  fuer 

tes 

-$F 

pesos  mone 

da  nac' 

Lonal 

— S^n 

por  ciento 

-% 

primero 

-1° 

segundo 

-r 

tercero 

-5° 

-67- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


4, —  Weights  and  Measures. 

Uniformity  in  weights  and  measures  throughout  the 
Spanish  empire  was  not  achieved  until  the  metric  system 
was  officially  adopted  in  1871.  Prior  to  that  date,  the 
detrimental  practice  of  giving  varying  values  to  the  same 
unit  of  weight  or  measure  in  different  provinces  or 
districts  was  recognized  by  the  authorities,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  numerous  efforts  were  made  to  establish  uni- 
form weights  and  measures  by  royal  decree.   The  chief 
difficulty  in  establishing  a  uniform  system  in  Spain  was 
that  Spain  was  divided  into  separate  kingdoms;  and,  even 
after  the  political  unity  was  effected,  local  customs 
were  not  readily  changed  by  general  decrees.   In  125'5, 
in  the  Fuero  Seal,  Law  I,  Title  X,  it  was  ordered: 

We  hereby  order  all  weights  and  measures  by  which 
purchases  and  sales  are  made  to  be  correct  and  uni- 
form for  everyone,  both  for  strangers  and  residents 
of  the  city;  they  shall  not  be  changed,  and  the  Offi- 
cers of  the  Council  shall  be  held  responsible  for 
inspecting  weights  and  measures. ^ 

No  standard  was  mentioned  in  this  law  by  which  the 
inspectors  could  examine  weights  and  measures.   The  laws 
of  the  Partida,  however,  later  gave  two  definitions  rela- 
tive to  linear  measures: 

...one  league  has  three  thousand  paces  ^pasos]... 
Because  many  people  are  in  doubt  as  to  the  manner 
of  measuring  the  pace  jpassoj  in  setting  landmarks 
in  the  cemetery,  the  holy  church  has  explained  it 
in  this  manner:   let  there  be  five  feet  to  one  pace 
, passada  and  fifteen  dedos  to  a  foot... 2 

In  the  Cortes  of  Alcala  de  Henares,  in  1349,  Alfonso 
XI,  wishing  to  reestablish  the  Roman  system,  had  two 
half-pound  standards  taken  to  Spain,  one  from  Cologne, 
in  Germany,  and  the  other  from  Troyes,  in  France. 


■'•Title  X,  Law  I,  quoted  in  Juan  Alvarez,  Temas  de  Historia 
Econ^mica  Argentina,  p.  136. 

^Partida  2,  Title  26,  Law  25;  and  Partida  1,  Title  13, 
Law  4,  quoted  in  Juan  Alvarez:   op.  cit . ,  p.  137. 


-68- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


The  mark  of  Cologne  was  used  in  weighing  metals  in  mints; 
and  the  mark  of  Troyes  was  used  in  weighing  all  other  matter. 

These  and  other  measures  had  little  effect  in  estab- 
lishing a  uniform  system.   Several  years  later,  in  1436, 
John  II  issued  another  decree  in  an  attempt  at  unifica- 
tion; and,  in  regard  to  the  existing  differences  in  weights 
and  measures,  he  stated:   "...in  one  and  the  same  place 
they  have  one  measure  for  purchases  and  one  for  sales." 

The  confusion  with  respect  to  weights  and  measures  was 
carried  from  the  mother  country  to  the  colonies.   On 
December  1,  1573  and  on  December  3,  1581,  Philip  II  stated: 

Inasmuch  as  it  has  been  observed  that  the  conquerors 
and  settlers  of  the  Indies,  in  all  the  territory  they 
conquer  and  settle,  establish  arbitrary  weights  and 
measures,  and  since  many  lawsuits  develop  out  of  the 
different  values  assigned  them,  and  as  it  is  deemed 
advisable  for  everyone  to  trade  and  carry  on  commerce 
with  just  and  standard  weights  and  measures ,... .we 
hereby  order  and  command  the  use  of  Toledo  weights 
and  the  Castilian  vara.  .  .'* 

On  October  20,  1801,  Charles  IV  established  a  \iniform 
system  for  the  Spanish  Empire.^  By  this  system,  Castil- 
ian weights  and  measures  v^re  officially  to  be  used 
throughout  the  overseas  possessions  of  Spain.   In  actual 
practice,  however,  they  were  not  uniformly  used.^  The  use 
of  varying  lengths  for  the  vara  was  due  perhaps  to  the 
fact  that  each  province  in  Spain  had  its  own  length  for 
it,  although  the  Castilian  vara  was  used  by  several  other 
provinces  as  well  as  their  own. 

The  problem  was  further  complicated  by  the  fact  that 


Juan  Alvarez,  op.  cit.,  p.  13b. 

Recopilacion  de  Indias ,  Book  IV,  Title  12,  Law  22. 

^Nov.  Recop.  ,  Book  IX,  Title  IX,  Law  V. 

IDireccion  General  del  Instituto  Geografico  y  Estadfstico, 
Equivalenc las  entre  las  Pesas  y  Medidas  Usadas  Antigua- 
mente  en  las  Diversas  Provincias  de  Espana  ^   las  Legales 
del  Sistema  Metrico- Decimal ,  Madrid  (imp rent a  de  la  Direc- 
cion  General  del  Instituto  Geograf ico  y  Estadfstico) , 
1886.  -69- 


HAN0300K  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


there  were  many  values  for  weights  or  measures  of  the 
same  denomination  in  various  provinces  or  states  of  Latin- 
American  countries.'^   "Thus,  toward  the  latter  part  of  the 
XVIII  century,  the  word  lihra  was  applied  to  391  different 
units  of  weight;  and  \inder  the  name  of  pie.  292  different 
units  of  length  were  designated."" 

By  the  Mexican  colonization  law  of  Janiiary  4,  1823, 
the  vara  was  declared  to  be  the  unit  of  land  measure.   The 
vara  was,  therefore,  the  \init  of  measure  in  land  surveys 
in  Texas  as  long  as  Texas  was  part  of  the  Mexican  republic. 
The  Republic  of  Texas  also  adopted  the  vara  as  the  unit  of 
measure,  though  an  arbitrary  length  was  assigned  to  it. 

It  is  not  definitely  known  how  the  length  of  33  l/3 
inches  came  to  be  adopted  for  the  vara  in  Texas.   It  is 
known,  however,  that  John  P.  Borden,  a  surveyor  for  the 
Austin  colony  ,  was  made  the  first  commissioner  of  the 
General  Land  Office.   Since  he  had  been  using  the  33  l/3 
inch  vara  in  the  Austin  colony,  it  is  probable  that  he 
established  that  vara  officially  for  Texas.   All  Texas 
lands  surveyed  since  1837  were  surveyed  with  the  33  l/3 
inch  vara,  or  were  intended  to  be  so  surveyed.   The  33  l/3 
vara,  however,  is  a  Texas  product,  used  only  in  Texas. 
To  be  able  to  determine  the  length  of  the  Spanish  vara 
used  in  land  surveys  in  Texas,  or  anywhere  else  in  the 
New  World,  it  is  essential  to  know  whether  the  surveyor 
used  the  Castilian  vara  or  the  vara  used  in  any  other 
province  in  Spain,  since  they  varied  in  length.   Offic- 
ially, the  vara  used  in  Texas  was  the  "Mexican  vara," 
which  was  composed  of  three  geometric  feet  (32.808  in.). 
Actually,  however,  the  surveyor  probably  used  the  vara  with 
which  he  was  familiar.   If  he  came  to  Texas  from  Castile, 
he  used  the  Castilian  vara  (32.90957  in.);  if  he  came  from 
Mexico,  he  used  the  Mexican  vara;  if  he  came  from  Alicante, 
he  used  the  Alicante  vara  (35.90544  inches). 

The  metric  system,  developed  in  France  in  1790,  was 
adopted  by  many  countries  before  1868,  when  Spain  accepted 
it.   The  metric  system  has  the  meter  and  the  gram  as  its 
bases.   Later  on  the  liter  was  established  as  the  unit  of 
volume.   For  all  practical  purposes,  the  meter  may  be 

Valentin  Balbin,  Sistema  de  Medietas  _y  Pesas  de  la  Repu"b- 
lica  Argentina,  p.  103. 

°Karlos  Kabezon,  La  Unifikacion  de  las  Medidas,  p.  16. 

-70- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


said  to  be  one  ten-millionth  part  of  the  distance  from 
the  equator  to  the  pole. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  following  list,  the  weights 
and  measures  used  in  Spain  and  Latin-America  were  first 
reduced  to  a  value  in  the  metric  system;  and  from  that 
system  they  were  given  their  equivalent  value  in  weights 
and  measures  used  in  the  United  States.   The  original 
name  is  listed  in  the  first  column;  the  equivalent  in 
other  units  of  the  original,  or  in  the  metric  system,  in 
the  second;  and  the  equivalent  in  United  States  values 
in  the  third. 

WEIGHTS  AM)  MEASURES 


Original 
Weight  or  Measure   Foreign 


U.  S.  Equivalent 


adarme 


algarrolDO 


almud 


aranzada 


are 


area 


arpent 

arpent  d'or- 
donnance 
arpent  des 
eaux  et 
forets 


Spain: 

I/I6  onza 

Chile: 

0.192  grams 

Chile: 

1/2  fanega 

Spain: 
20  X  20 
(estadales) 

Spain: 

10  X  10  meters 
(metric  system) 

Spain 

143.115329  sq.  v. 

Spain: 

51.07  ares 


51.07  " 


74.193  grains 
2.963  grains 
1.2885  bu. 

5,264.9536  sq.  yds, 

119.6  sq.  yds. 
.02471  acre 

1.26  acres 
1.26   " 


-71- 


HANDBOOK   FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF   SPANISH  HISTORICAL   DOCUMENTS 


arpent    (cont'd) 
arpent 

coimnxin  42.07  ares 

arpent  de 

Paris  34.2  " 

arpent 
"belgique  168.84       " 


1.04  acres 

.84         " 
4.17  " 


arrelde 

Spain: 

1  kilog.  185 

grams 

2  lb.  4,286.12 
grains 

arroba 

Spain: 

3.32  gal.  (oil) 

II 

4.26   "    (wine) 

II 

25.36  lb. 

Central  America: 

25.36  lb. 

Mexico: 

25.367  lb. 

Mixico: 

(100  libras) 

101.425427512  lb. 

Ohile: 

35.552  litres 

37.56779  liq.  qts 

arroz 

Chile: 

.036  grams 

0.556  grains 

azumbre 

Spain,  Colombia, 

Panama: 

2.13  liq.  qt. 

Spain,  Mexico: 

(l  vara  sq.  48 

surcos) 

.857  sq.  yd- 

Spain: 

1/8  cantara 

1.8322  qts. 

barril 

Argentina: 

11.875  litros 

12.5384  liq.  qts. 

braza 

Spain 

1  meter  672 

millim. 

1  yd.  29.82  in. 

caballer£a 

Costa  Rica: 

111.82  acres 

Cuba: 

33.2    " 

Guatemala: 

111.51   " 

Honduras : 

111.13 

-72- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


caballeria 
(cont'd) 


cahiz 


cana  de  rey 
c^ntara 

cavadura 
carga 

celemin 


celemin  de 
tierra 

centiSra 

centfgrajno 

centfmetro 


Mexico: 

(12  fanegas) 
Nicaragua: 
Puerto  Rico: 
Spain: 

60  fanegas 

Spain: 

666  litros 

Spain: 

1  metro  786 
millimeters 

Spain: 

60.84  iveas 

Spain 

16.133  liters 
Spain: 

64  copas 

Spain: 

4.3671  iveas 

Mexico: 

(2  fanegas) 
Spain: 

(Castile)  grain 

Bolivia,    Colombia, 
Panajna,  Peini: 

Spain: 

l/l2  fanega 

Spain: 

768  sq.  yds. 

Spain: 

48  sq.  estadales 

metric  system 

metric  system 

metric  system 


105.75  acres 
112.41   " 
194.1    " 

95.48   " 


694.7746  dry  qts. 

1  yd.  30.9448  in. 
1.503356  acres 

4.261935  gals. 

14.592  qts. 

.107911  acre 

5.15  bu. 
6.3  bu. 

0.53  pk. 
0.53  pk. 
0.133  acres 

631.7904  sq.  yds. 
1.196  sq.  in. 
0.1543  grains 
.3937  in. 


-73- 


HANDBOOK   FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL   DOCUMENTS 


code 

Spain: 

1/2  vara 

16.5  in. 

codo  de 

Spain: 

ribera 

.5936  meters 

23.37  in. 

copa 

Spain: 

l/64  cintara 

0.228  qts. 

1/128  arrota 

of  wine 

0.133  qts. 

cordel 

Mexico : 

50  varas 

46.29  yds. 

Cuba: 

1/324  caballerfas 

0.102  acre 
6F.77  feei 

Paraguay: 

83  1/3  varas 

76.42  yds. 

Spain: 

22.83  ft. 

coto 

Spain: 

104.5  milimeters 

4.1141  in. 

criadero  de 

ganado  mayor 

Spain,  Mexico: 
10  225/1,000 

caballerfas 

1,081.29  acres 

cuadra 

Argentina: 

150  sq.  varas 

142.1  sq.  yds. 

Chile: 

150  "     " 

137.13  "   " 

Ecuador: 

100  sq.    " 

91.42  "   " 

Paraguay: 

100  sq.    " 

94.71  "   " 

Uruguay : 

100  sq.    " 

93.42  "   " 

cuarta 

Brazil: 

0.92  acre 

It 

1.03  pk. 

Paraguay: 

.20  gal. 

Spain,  Guatemala: 

8.23  in. 

cuartal 

Spain: 

2.3839  dreas 

.058906  acre 

-74- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


ciiarterada 


C'aarter6n 


cuartilla 


cuartillo 


cue  r  da 
decaesterio 

dec^gramos 

dec^etro 

dec^rea 

deci^rea 

deciesterio 
decfgramo 
decilitro 
decfmetro 

dedo 


Spain: 

71.0311  arens 

Mexico; 

1/4  Hectoliter 
Spain: 

(oil) 
Spain: 

1/4  libra 

Spain: 

1/4  arroba 
Spain: 

1/4  fanega 

Mexico : 

dry  commodities 

liquids 

oil 
Spain: 

1/4  celemfn 
Spain: 

1/4  azumbre 

Puerto  Rico: 
metric  system 


Spain: 

1/48  vara 


1.712559  acre 

0.71  bu. 

0.133  liq.  qts, 

0.253564  lb. 

107.  gal. 
1.57  pk. 

1.72  dry  qt. 
0.482  liq.  qt. 
0.535  liq.  qt . 

1.05  dry  qt . 

1.07  liq.  qt. 

0.97  acre 
13.08  cu.  yds. 

0.3527  oz. 
32.808  ft. 

0.2471  acre 
11.96  sq.  yds. 

3.5315  cu.  ft. 

1.5432  grains 

6.1025  cu.  in. 

3.937  in. 

0.6949  in. 


-75- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL   DOCUMENTS 


destre  mall- 

Spain: 

orquin 

0.1775  ^reas 

.004386  acre 

dia  de  bueyes 

Spain: 

12.5772  ^ 

reas 

.3105286  acre 

dracma 

Spain: 

1/8  onza 

148.387  grains 

ejido 

Argentina: 

4  leguas 

CUB,d. 

41.7316  sq.  mi. 

emina 

France: 

20  to  47. 

6  liters 

44.092  lbs.  to 
104.9389  lbs. 

escrupulo 

Mexico: 

.00119808 

kilograms 

.0026412871  lb 

estadal 

Spain: 

16  sq.  varas 

13.37  sq.  yds. 

4  Castil 

ian  varas 

3.656  yds. 

Nicaragua: 

12.34  sq.  varas 

estadel 

Venezuela: 

3.57  yds. 

estadio 

Portugal: 

282.  yds. 

estado 

Spain: 

2  varas 

1.83  yds. 

esterio 

metric  syst 

em 

1.308  cu.  yds. 

fanega 

Argentina: 

3.89  bu. 

Chile: 

2.75  " 

Costa  Rica: 

11.35   " 

Cuba: 

3.0   " 

Ecuador,  El 

Sal- 

vador : 

1.57   " 

Gibraltar: 

1.60   " 

Guatemala: 

1.58   " 

Mixico: 
I' 

2.577  " 
8.81  acres 

Parag\iay: 

8.17  bu. 

Spain: 

1.58   " 

Venezuela: 

3.33   " 

-76- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


fanega  de 
tierra 

Spain: 

576  sq.  esta- 
dales 

8,221.5329  sq.  ydi 

fanegada 

Canary  Islands: 

Peru: 

Spain: 

Venezuela: 

1.30  acres 
1 .  59   " 

1.59   " 
1.73   II 

fanga 

Brazil: 
Portugal: 

4.12  bu. 
1.57  I' 

ferrado 

Portugal: 

605  sq.  varas 
Spain: 

6.3958  ^reas 

0.179  acre 
.158402  acre 

frasco 

Argentina 

2.51  qt. 

fundo  legal 
para  pue'blos 

Mexico : 

1,200  varas 
sq. ;  2  36/100 
caballerlas 

249.57  acres 

galon 

Argentina: 

Peru: 

Venezuela: 

1.01  gal. 
0.89   " 
0.925  " 

garrafa 

Brazil: 

0.704  liq.  qt 

geira 

Portugal: 

1.43  acres 

game 

Spain: 

139  millimeters 

5.4772  in. 

giornatfl 

Italy: 

0.94  acres 

gramo 

metric  system 

15.432  grains 

grano 

Spain: 

l/l2  tomin 

2.0609  grains 

hacienda 

25,000  X  5,000 

varas 

21,684.97  acres 

-77- 


HANDBOOK    FOR   TRAHSLATORS  OF   SPANISH  HISTORICAL   DOCUMENTS 


h^ctara 

hect6graino 
hectolitre 

hect6metro 
hect6stero 
hue bra 

jarra 

jornal 

kiloesterio 

kil6gramo 

kil6litro 

kil6metro 

labor 

lastre 

legoa 

leg\ia 


metric  system 


II     II 


II     II 

Spain: 

22.3595  Sreas 

Mixico: 

18  cuartillos 

Spain: 

48.0415  ^reas 

metric  system 
II     II 

II     II 


Mexico : 
Texas: 

Argentina: 
15  fanegas 

Brazil: 

20,000  p^s 
Portugal: 

24  estadios 

Argentina: 

Chile: 

5,400  varas 

Mexico : 

Paraguay: 
11 


2.471  acres 

3.5274  oz. 

26.418  gal. 
2.838  bu. 

109.36  yd. 

130.8  cu.  yds. 

.552503  acre 

2.17  gal. 

1.187105  acres 

1,308.  cu.  yds. 

2.2046  lb. 

35.315  cu.  ft. 

0.62137  mi. 

174.  acres 
177.14  acres 

58.40  bu. 

4.10  mi. 

3.85  mi. 

3.23  mi. 

2.81  mi. 

2.60  mi. 

2.69  mi. 

4,633.  acres 


-78- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


legua  (cont'd)  Spain: 

20,000  pies 


burgaleses 
20,000  pies 
geom^tricos 

libra 

Mexico,  Spain: 
.46006272  kilo- 

grams 

libra 

(medical) 

Mexico,  Spain: 
12  onzas 

line 

Paraguay: 

linea 

Argentina,  Paraguay 

1/432  vara 
Chile:   1/432  vara 
Mixico:   1/432  vara 
Spain:   1/432  vara 

linha 

Portugal: 
1/144  p^ 

lino 
litre 

maiz 
mano 
man z ana 


Paraguay: 

metric  system 
II     II 


Chile: 

0.128  grams 

Spain: 

10   centimeters 

Argentina: 
old,  metric 

Costa  Rica,  Guate- 
mala, El  Salvador; 

Honduras: 

Mexico: 

Nicaragua: 


18,283.099  ft. 
19,226.933  ft. 

1.0142642  lb, 

.69729  lb. 
1.85  acres 


0.0789  in. 
0.0769  in. 
0.0769  in. 
0.0769  in. 


0.0902  in. 

1.85  acres 

61.025  cu.  in. 
.9081  dry  qt. 
1.0567  liq.  qt , 

1.975  grains 

3.9370  in. 

1.85  acres 
2.47   " 

1.73  " 
1.723  " 
1.833  " 

1.74  " 


-79- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


marco 

mecate 

medio 

megametro 

melo 

metro 

micro 

microlitro 

micromilimetro 

miglio 

milha 

miliesterio 

miligramo 

mililitro 

milimetro 

milla 

milliar 


Mixico: 

2  7/8  varas 
1/2  libra 

Honduras : 
24  varas 

Spain: 

1/24  fanega 

metric  system 

Portugal: 
l/24  almude 
l/8  fanega 

metric  system 
n     It 


Italy  (Naples) : 
"    (Rome) : 
"   metric  system 

Brazil: 
Portugal: 

metric  system 
It     II 

11     II 

II     II 

Honduras: 
Nicaragua: 
Spain: 
Venezuela: 

metric  system 


2.66  yds. 
.5071321  l"b. 


22.   yds. 

2.01  dry  q.ts. 
621.4  mi. 

0.727  liq.  qts. 
6.28  dry  qts. 

39.37000  in. 

0.000039  in. 

0.000061  cu.  in. 

0.000039  in. 

1.38  mi. 
0.925  mi. 
0.621  mi. 

1.21  mi. 
1.28  mi. 

0.0353  cu.  ft. 

0.0154  grains 

0.0610   cu.    ft. 

0.03937   in. 

1.149  mi. 
1.159  mi. 
0.866  mi. 
1.154  mi. 

1.076   sq.    ft. 


-80- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


mine 
mirialitro 

miri&netro 

miriara 
mi  sura 


mojada 


France  (Orleans) 
metric  system 


moyo 


naranja 


obrada 


ochavillo 


onza 


paja 


palmo 


panilla 


II      II 


II      II 


Balearic  Islands: 

Brazil: 
Portugal: 

Spain: 

48.9650  acres 

Spain: 

16  c^ntaras 

Spain,  Mexico: 
16  sq.  dedos 

Spain: 

58.8318  ^reas 

Spain: 

1/32  celemfn 

Mexico: 

.02875392  kilo- 
grams 
Spain: 

28  grains  755 
milligrams 

Spain,  Mexico: 
1/3  dedo 

Balearic  Islands; 

Italy: 

Portugal,  Brazil; 

Spain: 

Spain: 

1/4  libra 


0.92  "bu. 

283.7  "bu. 
2,642.7  gals. 

6.2137  mi. 

247.1  acres 

4.29  gal. 

61.8  bu. 
23.6  bu. 

1.209925  acres 

58.368  gals. 

0.6831  in. 

1.332183  acres 

0.016  pk. 

.0633908  lbs. 
1,187.096  grains 


0.23  in. 

7.70  in. 
3.94  in. 
8.66  in. 
8.23  in. 


.253564  lb, 


-81- 


HANDBOOK   FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF   SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


paso 


paso  de 
Salomon 

passo 


p^s 
peonada 

peonia 

pie 


pie  "bur- 
gales 

pie  geom^t- 
rico 

pied 


pi^de 

pinte 

pipa 

pouce 

pulgada 


Spain: 

1  2/3  varas 


Spain,  Mexico: 

Brazil: 
5  p^s 

Portugal: 

Ancient  Rome  (foot) 

Spain: 
39.1292 

Spain: 

50  X  100  pies 


1.52  yds. 

1.52  yds. 

1.80  yds. 
1.08  ft. 
11.64  in. 

.9668825  acre 

4,178.5  sq.  ft. 


Paraguay: 

1/3  vara  11.36  in. 

Spain: 

1/3  vara;  16  dedos     10.97  in. 


Spain: 

Spain: 

France : 
12  pouce s 

Italy: 

France : 

Brazil: 

France : 

Mexico: 

1/12  pie 
Spain: 

12  lineas 


10.969  in. 

10.936  in. 

1.066   ft. 
11.223  in. 
0.984   liq.    qts. 
126.6  gal. 
1.066   in. 

0.916   in. 
0.914   in. 


-82- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 

punto 

Italy: 

Spain,  Mexico: 

0.14  in. 
0.000354  in. 

quarto 

Brazil: 

1/16  fanga 

8.23  dry  qts. 

quintal 

Mexico: 

Central  America: 
South  America: 
metric  system 

101.44  Its. 
101.41   " 
101.4   " 
220.46   " 

raci6n 

Spain: 

1/192  fanega 

0.0082  tu. 

rolDada 

Spain: 

.222635  acre 

sitio 

Mexico : 

492.28  fanegas 

4,338.18  acres 

sitio  de  gan- 
ado  mayor 

Mixico : 

5,000  sq.  varas 

4,629.166  sq.  yds. 

stero 

Italy: 

35.31  cu.  ft. 

suerte 

Nicaragua: 
Uruguay: 

2,700  cuadras 
Mexico: 

552  X  276  varas 

3.48  acres 

7.69  sq.  mi. 

511.06  yds.  X 
255.53  yds. 

surco 

Mexico: 

48  dedos  6 
dedos  "base , 
8  height 

4.14  "base  x 
5.52  height  in 

tahulla 

Spain 

11.1823  &reas 

.27631463  acn 

tapia 

Spain: 

3.882  sq.  meters 

5.0355  sq.  yd. 

tarea 


Out  a: 


82.56   sq.    yds. 


-83- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


toesa 


Spain: 

1  meter  672 

millimeters 


1  yd.   30.3566   in. 


toesa  del 
Peru 


tomfn 


tonel 


Peru: 

1.94902  meters 

Spain: 

1/3  adarme 

Brazil : 
2  pipas 


2  yd.  4.6329  in. 

24.731  grains 
253.2  gals. 


tonelada 


Argentina: 

Portugal: 

Spain: 

920  k.  185 
grams 


29.20  bu. 
229.98  gals. 


2,028.5  lb. 
978.92  grains 


tonneau 

tonneau 
de  j  auge 


metric  system 


international: 


2,204.6  lbs. 


100.  cu.  ft. 


trigo 


Chile: 

0.048  grams 

Argentina, 

Paraguay: 

Brazil: 

Chile,  Gxiatemala, 

Peru,  El  Salvador; 
Colombia: 
Cuba: 
Honduras : 
Mexico: 

838  millimeters 
Nicaragua: 
Portugal 

legalized: 


0.740  grains 


34.09  in. 
43.31  in. 

32.91  in. 

31.5  in. 
33.39  in. 
32.87  in. 

32.99  in. 

33.06  in. 

43.11  in. 


-84- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


vara  (cont'd) 


Texas: 
California: 
Uruguay: 
Spain: 

Alava:  0.835905 
meters 
Altacete: 


0.837 
Alicante: 

0.912 
Almerfa 

0.833 
Avila: 

0.835905 
Badajoz: 

0.835905 
Baleares: 

0.782 
Burgos: 

0.835905 
Cdceres: 

0.835905 
Cddiz: 

0.835905 
Canarias: 

0.842 
Oastell6n 

0.906 
Castilla: 

0.835905 
Ciudad-Real: 

0.839 
C6rdo'ba: 

0.835905 
Coruila 

0.843 
Cuenca: 

0.835905 
Granada : 

0.835905 
Guadalajara: 

0.835905 
Guipilzeoa: 

0.837 
Huelva: 

0.835905 


meters 


33.33  in. 
33.  in. 
33.63  in. 


32.909579  inches 

32.95269 

35.90544 

32.79521 

32.909579 

32.909579 

30.78734 

32.909579 

32.909579 

32.909579 

33.14954 

35.66922 

32.909579 

33.03143 

32.909579 

33.18891 

32.909579 

32.909579 

32.909579 

32.95269 

32.909579 


-85- 


HANDBOOK   FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF   SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


vara  (cont'd) 


Hue  sea: 

0.772  meters 
Ja^n: 
■  0.839    " 
Le6n: 

0.835905  " 
L^rida: 

0.778    " 
LoroKo: 

0.837    " 
Lugo: 

0.855    " 
Madrid: 

0.843    " 
Malaga : 

0.835905  " 
Murcia: 

0.835905  " 
Navarra: 

0.785    " 
Ore'nse : 

0.835905  " 
Oviedo : 

0.835905   " 
Palencla: 

0.835905  " 
Pontevedra: 

0.835905  " 
Salamanca: 

0.835905  " 
Santander: 

0.835905  " 
Segovia: 

0.837    " 
Sevilla: 

0.835905  " 
Soria: 

0.835905  " 
Tarragona: 

0.780    " 
Teruel: 

0.768    " 
Toledo: 

0.837    " 
Valencia: 

0.906    " 


30.39364  inches 

33.03143  " 

32.909579  " 

30.62986  " 

32.95269  " 

33.66135  " 

33.18891  " 

32.909579  " 

32.909579  " 

30.90545  " 

32.909579  " 

32.909579  " 

32.909579  " 

32.909579  " 

32.909579  " 

32.909579  " 

32.95269  " 

32.909579  " 

32.909579  " 

30.70860  " 

30.23616  " 

32.95269  " 

35.66922  " 


-86- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


vara  (cont'd) 


vara  de 
Ritera 


Valladolid: 

0.835905  Meters 
Vizcaya: 

0.835905    " 
Zamora: 

0.835905    " 
Zaragoza: 

0.772       " 


Mexico: 

36  pulgadas 


Spain: 


yugada 

5.   Monetary  Terms. 


Spain: 

460,800  sq.  varas 


32.909579  Inches 
32.909579   " 
32.909579   " 
30.39364    "   9 

32.97  in. 

.1401139  acre 

79.65  acres 


The  names  of  most  c 
foreign  language.   Oc 
ent  can  "be  found;  as 
the  coin  should  he  re 
in  brackets.   In  inte 
values  are  difficult 
exists  among  experts 
values;  some  would  us 
the  value  of  the  basi 
to  advantage. 


oins  cannot  he  translated  into  a 
casionally  an  approximate  correspond- 
a  rule,  however,  the  original  name  of 
tained  and  the  equivalent  value  given 
rnational  exchange,  exact  equivalent 
to  obtain.   G-reat  divergence  of  opinion 
in  the  matter  of  ascertaining  money 
e  the  purchasing  power  of  money;  others 
c  metal;  index-numbers  are  often  used 


The  problem  is  further  complicated  by  the  confusion 
which  existed  in  Spain  and  her  colonies  with  respect  to  the 
value  of  coins  of  the  same  denomination  in  different  parts 
of  the  empire  because  of  the  unstable  market  value  of  the 
basic  metals,  and  because  of  the  fluctuating  prices  of  basic 
commodities  such  a?  wheat,  salt,  and  meat,  due  to  local  con- 
dition. 

Abuses  by  private  persons  with  respect  to  the  coinage 
and  use  of  money  further  complicated  the  problem.   In  New 
Spain  smd  in  the  Interior  Provinces  of  Spain,  the  section 


I 


^Direcci(5n  General  del  Instituto  Geografico  y  Estadis  t  ico , 
op.  cit. 


-87- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


of  the  United  States  now  included  in  the  territory  from 
California  to  Texas,  such  alDuses  were  a  common  practice. 
The  following  letter  sets  forth  the  state  of  affairs  in 
this  section  of  the  Spanish  Empire  with  unusoial  clearness: 

Among  the  many  matters  relating  to  the  government 
and  administration  of  these  dominions  that  are  clamoring 
for  prompt  and  effective  remedy,  the  improper  use  of 
imaginary  money  is,  without  doubt,  one  of  the  most  worthy 
of  attention. 

All  dealers,  in  beverages,  foodstuffs,  clothing,  and 
raw  materials  arbitrarily  coin  money  out  of  small 
pieces  of  wood  or  copper.   Their  places  of  business  are 
known  as  mestizas,  cacahuaterfas.  or  pulquerfas;  and 
their  coins  as  tlacos. 

The  tlacos  have  the  identifying  marks  of  their  res- 
pective maker;  each  tlaco  is  worth  one-eighth  of  one 
tomin,  or  regualr  silver  real;  but  whether  or  not  it  has 
this  value,  it  is  not  accepted  anywhere  except  in  the 
place  of  business  of  the  maker. 

The  disorders,  abuses,  and,  consequently,  the  extremely 
grave  harm  resulting  from  this  kind  of  commerce  or  pri- 
vate trade  so  generally  tolerated  is  great  and  requires 
an  extensive  explanation. 

Such  an  explanation  was  made  to  His  Majesty  by  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Don  Agustfn  Corona,  who  suggested 
the  coinage  of  copper  coins  and  the  absolute  prohibi- 
tion of  the  use  of  the  imaginary  coin  known  as  tlaco. 
By  royal  cedula  dated  October  21,  1767,  information 
relative  to  the  advantages  or  disadvantages  of  the  pro- 
posed project  was  requested  from  this  office. 

Captain  General  Marques  de  Croix  was  then  viceroy. 
He  had  already  commenced  to  take  steps  for  the  careful 
inspection  or  visitation  of  mestiza  stores,  and  he  had 
already  noted  the  advantage  of  the  orders  for  the  ex- 
tirpation of  tlacos  and  the  substitution  of  copper 
coins,  when  he  received  the  afore-cited  cedula. 

He  immediately  requested  official  opinion,  in  accor- 
dance with  instructions.  Although  he  received  adverse 
opinions  from  the  tribunals  of  this  consulado,  from  the 

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SPECIAL  AIDS 


procurator  general  of  this  city,  and  from  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  mint,  who  took  exception  to  the  official 
proposal  and  objected  to  the  consulting  vote  of  the 
royal  acuerdo,  he  accepted  the  favorable  opinion  of 
Eon  Francisco  Leandro  de  Viana,  who  at  that  time  was 
discharging  one  of  the  positions  of  alcalde  de  corte  of 
this  audiencia. 

He  had  good  reasons  for  accepting  it,  for  the  opinion 
expressed  by  this  zealous  official  was  substantial, 
clear,  and  the  greater  part  of  it  was  based  on  knowledge 
acquired  by  him  through  first-hand  experience  in  the 
aforesaid  visitation  of  stores,  a  commission  which 
was  wisely  confided  to  him  in  view  of  his  ability,  hon- 
esty, and  experience,  and  because  he  had  promoted  and 
carried  out  in  Manila,  with  the  greatest  felicity,  the 
project  under  consideration  for  New  Spain. 

The  Marques  de  Croix  forwarded  to  the  Supreme  Council 
of  the  Indies  a  complete  copy  of  the  expediente ,  to- 
gether with  a  confidential  report  dated  December  25,  1769, 
On  the  same  date  he  forwarded  the  same  information, 
likewise  confidentially,  to  the  secretaries  Marques 
de  Grimaldi  and  Era:'  Don  Julian  de  Arriaga,  recommend- 
ing the  great  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  most 
useful  project  suggested. 

After  having  seen  and  examined  most  carefully  and  min- 
utely everything  set  forth  therein  abov.t  this  matter,  I 
have  been  so  impressed  with  it  that  if  I  were  to  waste 
one  instant  in  promoting  it,  I  should  feel  that  I  were 
failing  in  the  fulfilment  of  my  strictest  duty  and 
responsibility. 

I  cannot  conceal  the  facts,  knowing  that  mestiza 
stores,  cacahuaterfas,  or  pulquerj!as  serve  as  deposi- 
tories for  articles  stolen  by  domestic  servants  who 
despoil  their  masters,  by  respectable  young  men  who 
thus  torture  their  parents,  and  by  gamblers  and  pro- 
fligates who  neglect  their  wives  and  children  and  leave 
them  naked. 

The  cause  of  the  existence  of  such  disgraceful  depos- 
itories for  stolen  goods  is  the  use  of  imaginary  coins, 
which  gives  rise  to  disorders  and  usuary,  for  jewels 


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and  other  articles  are  accepted  at  pawnshops  only  with 
usury. 

The  storekeeper  takes  security  for  three  times  the 
amount  of  the  loan.  He  makes  a  loan,  for  instance,  of 
ten  pesos,  when  they  ask  him  for  a  loan  of  twenty  on  an 
article  which  costs  forty.   It  is  \inderstood,  of  course, 
that  half  the  loan  is  to  be  made  in  cash  and  half  of  it 
in  tlacos ,  that  these  are  given  at  the  rate  of  four  for 
half  of  one  real,  and  that  they  return  to  the  borrower 
at  tlie  rate  of  five  to  one;  thus  the  victim  does  not 
remedy  his  situation;  he  merely  converts  into  silver 
coin  his  imaginary  wood  or  copper  money,  which  was 
coined  by  the  storekeeper,  and  which  cannot  circulate 
elsewhere. 

This  monopoly  makes  it  impossible  for  the  poverty- 
stricken  people  to  seek  necessities  to  satisfy  their 
hunger  in  establishments  where  better  opportunities  and 
greater  facilities  are  offered  with  reference  to  things 
they  desire  or  need.   If  one  tlaco  is  spent  for  bread 
out  of  one-half  real,  three  tlacos  are  not  used  until 
the  store,  where  they  were  coined,  has  the  articles  or 
merchandise  for  which  they  are  to  be  spent.   There  is, 
then,  no  other  alternative  but  to  make  use  of  usurious 
exchange  for  this  worthless  coin,  thereby  losing  twenty- 
five  or  fifty  percent. 

Worse  still,  tlacos  are  also  subject  to  being  left 
without  any  value  whatever,  since,  in  case  of  the  bank- 
ruptcy of  the  storekeepers,  there  is  no  one  to  redeem 
tiiem  in  circulation.   The  same  is  true  very  often  in  the 
case  of  transfers  of  stores  from  one  merchant  to  another. 
Frequently  the  articles  pawned  are  lost.   Sometimes, 
at  the  time  such  articles  are  to  be  redeemed,  they  are 
shown  to  have  greater  amounts  charged  against  them  and 
nothing  can  be  done  about  it.   These  excessive  charges 
are  always  detrimental  to  the  wretched  owners. 

Many  effective  and  salutary  measures  have  been  issued 
by  all  my  predecessors  to  remedy  this  and  other  less 
harmful  effects  resulting  therefrom.   Palliative  re- 
medies, however,  as  a  rule  produce  no  other  results  than 
to  aggravate  these  evils  of  long  standing  to  the  griev- 
ous point  of  making  them  incurable. 


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Such  are,  without  a  doubt,  the  evils  suffered  "by  the 
people  of  these  dominions  with  respect  to  the  circula- 
tion of  tlacos.   These  coins  ought  to  be  extirpated; 
and  this  voluntary,  intolerable,  and  despicable  coin 
should  be  replaced  by  a  standard  coin  of  a  small  denom- 
ination and  general  and  certain  acceptance,  as  is  done 
in  all  civilized  countries  in  proportion  to  their  needs. 

I  believe  there  is  no  greater  need  in  any  part  of  the 
world  than  there  is  in  that  territory  included  within 
the  vast  dominions  of  New  Spain,  whose  inexhaustible 
riches  do  not  remedy  the  misery  of  its  inliabitants ,  who 
live  on  a  daily  wage.   Whether  this  wage  be  large  or 
small,  it  is  always  converted  into  imaginary  coin  for 
the  acquisition  of  sustenance;  and  it  is  not  sufficient 
to  clothe  the  most  shameless  nakedness. 

In  the  extensive  and  rich  Interior  Provinces,  only 
within  very  recent  years  have  silver  coins  been  circu- 
lated with  some  regularity;  and  gold  coins  only  rarely, 
since  gold  coins  are  introduced  there  only  by  chance; 
and  silver  coins  are  taken  there  only  in  sufficient  n^'um.- 
bers  to  cover  one  third  or  one  fourth  of  the  money  al- 
lottments  due  the  troops  on  the  frontier. 

Consequently,  the  lack  of  coined  money  compels  the 
people,  because  of  that  fertile  greed  of  mankind,  to 
invent  imaginary  money.   This  money  has  not  been,  nor 
can  it  be,  entirely  extinguished.   Nor  does  it  easily 
lend  itself  to  as  clear  an  explanation  as  I  would  like 
to  give  it,  if  the  confusing  differences  encountered  in 
this  unusual  matter  should  permit. 

One  who  possesses  regular  money  is  said  to  possess 
everything,  for  that  kind  of  money  is  equivalent  to  any- 
thing he  may  need.   This  statement  is  not  true  in  the 
Interior  Provinces,  where  sales  and  purchases  are  made 
by  the  barter  or  exchange  of  one  article  for  another, 
in  such  a  manner  that  a  poor  man  is  compelled  to  make 
many  exchanges  in  order  to  obtain  whatever  he  needs. 

It  is  true  that  in  place  of  coin,  silver  bars  are 
circulated;  but  they  vary  in  value  because  of  the  dif- 
ferent laws  and  ordinances.   Furthermore,  this  imaginary, 
rough,  and  uncoined  money  is  to  be  found  only  in  the 


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possession  of  miners,  or,  rather,  the  merchants  who 
furnish  them  with  supplies  for  the  payment  of  laborers, 
purchase  of  mules,  equipment,  and  for  the  cultivation 
of  farms. 

The  merchant,  who  is  really  the  owner  of  everything, 
arbitrarily  sets  the  price  of  everything.  He  sells 
clothing  and  other  articles  at  whatever  price  can  "be 
obtained  from  the  purchaser,  according  to  his  meems. 
Although  known  kinds  of  cloth,  for  instance,  may  have 
a  fixed  regulation  price  of  one  peso,  or  ten,  twelve, 
or  fourteen  reales,  which  is  the  highest  price,  there 
is  always  a  chance  for  alteration.   Since  such  a  rate 
is  based  on  arbitrary  principles,  use  is  made  of  the 
one  which  is  most  advantageous  to  the  merchant.   Singe 
the  fraud  is  neither  noticed  nor  investigated,  contracts 
are  generally  fulfilled. 

As  I  stated  above,  it  is  not  easy  to  explain  a  matter 
that  requires  varied  laiowledge  and  many  exaunples  to  be 
understood.   Nevertheless,  since  my  purpose  is  to 
describe  the  harm  caused  the  wretched  Indian  and  the 
poverty-stricken  day  laborer  by  these  truly  imaginary 
coins;  I  shall  give  sufficient  facts  to  enable  one  to 
form  an  opinion  about  the  matter. 

An  Indian  working  for  a  daily  wage,  for  instance, 
earns  six  pesos  per  month  at  the  rate  of  two  reales 
each  day,  excepting  holidays.   His  overseer  pays  him 
with  three  varas  of  native  baize;  the  price  of  baize 
is  two  pesos  per  vara.   The  overseer,  however,  purchases 
the  baize  from  a  merchant  at  the  rate  of  half  its 
regular  price,  which  is  ten  or  twelve  reales.   Con- 
sequently, he  pays  the  Indian  only  four  and  a  half 
pesos  for  the  six  pesos  he  earns  in  one  month.   If  the 
purchase  was  made  at  the  minimiim  price  of  seven  or 
eight  reales,  then  the  overseer  pays  the  Indian  only 
three  pesos  and  six  reales. 

The  small  amovint  of  silver  in  current  circulation 
in  a  few  of  the  Interior  Provinces  (for  it  has  not  yet 
reached  New  Mexico,  and  it  is  just  beginning  to  circu- 
late in  California),  has,  to  a  certain  extent,  remedied 
usurious  trade.   This  benefit,  however,  does  not  reach 
the  wretched  population  who  are  in  need  of  a  coin  of 
small  denomination  in  order  not  to  incur  a  loss 

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SPECIAL  AIDS 


in  the  exchange  of  the  coin  of  high  denomination  which 
they  acquire  and  must  exchange  for  things  of  small  cost, 
such  as  food,  medicines,  and  similar  articles. 

The  coinage  of  copper  coins  would  remedy  all  the  grave 
harm  caused  "by  the  circulation  of  tlacos  in  all  the 
provinces  of  this  extensive  kingdom,  where  the  use  of 
imaginary  frontier  money  is  current.   The  circulation 
of  the  precious  metals,  which  they  urgently  need,  should 
be  encouraged;  and  copper  coins  should  be  used  for 
ordinary  purchases  throughout  New  Spain. 

The  great  advantages  of  the  establishment  of  this  new 
coin  of  low  denomination  should  have  two  objectives; 
first,  its  intrinsic  value  should  not  alter  that  of  food, 
clothing,  notions,  and  other  kinds  of  merchandise;  sec- 
ond, the  amount  coined  should  not  exceed  the  limits  of 
the  need  which  makes  such  coinage  necessary  as  to  pro- 
vincial coin;  and  its  circulation  should  be  confined  to 
the  territory  of  New  Spain. 

The  regular  silver  real  has  a  value  of  twelve  granos. 
Using  this  coin  as  a  standard,  two  kinds  of  copper 
coins  should  be  made:   one  with  the  value  of  one  grano; 
the  other  with  the  value  of  half  of  one  grano .   Thus 
there  would  be  no  alteration  in  the  price  of  merchandise. 
The  purchase  of  the  most  insignificant  articles  could 
continue  to  be  effected,  as  now,  with  cacao s .  with  no 
other  harm  than  the  tendency  to  usury  caused  by  the  use 
of  tlacos,  which  should  be  absolutely  forbidden. 

The  regulation  of  the  amount  of  copper  coins  to  be 
put  in  circulation  in  each  province  or  intendency  is  not 
difficult.   The  general  census  now  being  taken  will 
record  the  number  of  families  which  may  be  used  as  a 
basis  to  compute  the  amount  of  small  denomination  coins 
needed. 

I  would  present  to  Your  Excellency  a  detailed  report 
on  the  subject  of  this  letter,  including  the  smallest 
details,  but  the  report  furnished  by  the  Count  of  Tepa 
and  the  one  prepared  by  the  Marques  de  Croix,  which  was 
sent  to  the  Council  of  the  Indies  together  with  a  com- 
plete expediente  on  the  matter,  make  it  unnecessary  for 
me  to  spend  any  more  time  in  setting  forth  the  great 
benefits  to  be  derived  from  the  advantageous  project  of 

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the  extirpation  from  this  kingdom  of  all  imaginary  coins, 
and  the  establishment  of  copper  coins. 

Adverse  opinions  have  no  other  foundation  than  the 
great  difficulties  brought  forth  by  the  whims  of  men 
who  are  satisfied  with  established  custom  whether  or  not 
it  is  beneficial,  especially  when  the  harm  is  felt  less 
where  it  cannot  do  its  full  damage. 

I  wish  to  overcome  any  difficulties  that  may  have  any 
bearing  on  the  royal  service  and  the  general  welfare, 
and  my  zeal  shall  be  unfailing  in  realizing  and  proniot- 
ing  their  happiness.   Thus  I  will  try  to  fulfill  the 
obligations  of  my  office,  loyalty,  gratitude,  zeal,  and 
love  which  I  dedicate  at  the  feet  of  the  king  with  the 
deepest  respect.   I  beg  Your  Excellency  to  make  all  this 
known  to  His  Majesty,  and  to  give  me  whatever  instruc- 
tions may  be  forthcoming  in  view  of  this  letter. 

May  God  guard  Your  Excellency  many  years. 
Mexico,  March  27,  1790. 

El  Conde  de  Revilla  G-igedo 

Don  Antonio  Valdez-^ 

Imaginary  money  of  various  types  was  used  in  isolated 
provinces,  where  little  bullion  was  to  be  found.   On  the 
Texas  coast,  for  instance,  in  the  year  1828,  the  following 
statement  was  recorded: 

...an  opportunity  was  offered  to  trade  an  order  of 
five  cows  and  calves  for  hewed  logs  sixteen  feet  long 
to  build  one  room;  . . .The  order  of  one  cow  and  calf 
had  by  custom  become  a  circulating  medium  for  $10, 
hence  the  order  for  five  cows  and  calves  for  these  logs. 2 

The  economist  or  the  numismatist  may  be  greatly  concerned 
about  the  state  of  international  exchange  at  different 
periods  of  history.   We  assiune  that  the  historian,  however, 
is  usually  satisfied  merely  with  an  approximate  working 
equivalent  for  the  par  value  of  obsolete  coins.  Proceeding 
on  this  assumption,  therefore,  in  the  determination  of 


Transcripts,  The  Archives  Collections,  The  University  of 
Texas . 

'^Mrs.  Mary  Sherwood  Helm,  Scraps  of  Early  Texas  History. 
B.  R.  Warner  &  Co .  ,  Austin,  TexasT  1884  ,  p.  47. 

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SPECIAL  AIDS 


modern  United  States  equivalent  values  for  Spanish  coins 
from  1492  to  1850,  we  have  used  as  a  basis  the  tables  for 
1492  to  1928  prepared  by  Juan  Alvarez  in  his  work  entitled 
Temas  de  Historia  Econ6mica  Argentine  ,  o_,   Equivalencia  ac- 
tual de  las  monedas  usadas  en  el_  territorio  argentine  (1492- 
1928) .   By  transferring  the  values  of  Argentine  money  to 
United  States  money  for  1936,  as  given  in  the  Handbook  of 
Foreign  Currencies,  prepared  by  the  Department  of  Commerce , 
in  1936,  and  a  pamphlet  entitle  Monetary  Systems  of  the 
Principal  Countries  of  the  World,  compiled  in  the  Office 
of  the  Director  of  the  Mint,  1916,  we  have  obtained  o\ir 
equivalent  values  for  coins  used  betv;een  the  years  1492 
and  1850. 

Juan  Alvarez  explains  his  method  of  arriving  at  modern 
Argentine  equivalent  values  of  ancient  Spanish  coins  in 
the  following  lines: 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  exactly  how  much  and 
how  the  purchasing  power  of  one  metal  oscillated  from 
1492  to  our  times.   To  attempt  to  study  the  problem  of 
the  combined  oscillations  of  both  metals  would  be  to 
accumulate  difficulties.   Consequently,  I  decided  to 
adopt  gold  as  the  sole  standard,  even  though  in  fact 
Spain  was  not  monometallic,  and  for  a  long  time  her 
coins  were  struck  without  adhering  to  a  basic  and  gen- 
eral type. 

In  the  face  of  the  difficulty  in  determining  exactly 
the  nature  of  the  variations  in  the  purchasing  power 
of  gold,  I  have  adopted  as  a  hypothesis  that  it  re- 
mained invariable;  and  that  from  1492  that  metal  had  a 
value  of  $0.6888  [Argentine  money)  per  gram,  which 
price  is  still  assigned  to  it  in  accordance  with  the 
calculations  made  during  the  first  years  of  the  French 
republic  (l  kilogram  of  gold — 3,444.44  francs — 688.88 
gold  Argentine  pesos).   I  have  reference  to  the  gold 
peso  of  our  monetary  law  of  November  5,  1881,  with  9/l0 
fineness,  and  1.6129  grams.   In  the  following  computa- 
tions I  have  reduced  it  to  paper  money  at  the  rate  of 
$1  paper  money  to  0.44  gold,  in  accordance  with  the  law 
of  conversion  of  October  31,  1899,  which  is  in  force  to- 
day, or  the  same  as  that  used  as  the  basis  for  our  sta- 
tistical tables.   Consequently,  I  am  attributing  to  each 
gold  coin  a  permanent  value  as  long  as  its  legal  value 
does  not  change;  for  example,  I  attribute  to  it  the  val- 

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ue  of  $4.85  paper  money  to  one  gold  escudo.  from  1537 
to  1771. 

Likewise,  I  have  made  use  of  the  hypothesis  that 
silver  continued  to  fall  in  value  with  relation  to  gold, 
from  1:1.11  which  it  had  at  the  end  of  the  XV  century 
to  the  maximum  of  1:17  reached  during  the  first  inde- 
pendent government  (Of  Argentina] .   Likewise  I  have  made 
use  of  gold  value  in  relation  to  copper  coins.  For  the 
reasons  given  ahove,  I  "believe  that  these  bases  pennit 
one  to  obtain  results  which  are  amply  practical.   I  have 
not  made  use  of  fractions  of  smaller  denomination  than 
one  centavo  because  I  think  there  are  chances  of  making 
major  errors- 

For  facility  in  exposition,  I  have  divided  the 
tables  into  various  periods,  corresponding  to  as  many 
important  changes  in  the  monetary  system.   They  are 
arranged  in  twelve  groups,  in  which  these  dates  are  in- 
cluded; 


Years 


1492-1537 
1537-1566 
1567-1608 
1609-1642 
1642-1686 
1686-1728 


Years 


1728-1737 
1737-1771 
1772-1811 
1812-1862 
1862-1881 
1882-19283 


Since  the  equivalent  values  of  coins  used  prior  to  the 
year  1492,  as  given  in  the  lists  below,  were  obtained  by  a 
tortuous  method  and  in  a  manner  not  altogether  satisfactory, 
they  may  be  used  only  with  caution.  Nevertheless,  these 
values  are  useful  in  determining  the  comparative  worth  of 
personal  or  real  property.   The  fine  weight  of  silver  or 
gold  of  certain  coins  was  ascertained,  and  their  equivalent 
value  was  found  by  giving  the  pure  gold  or  silver  its  equiv- 
alent value  in  United  States  currency  for  1936.   It  was 
found  that  in  Jsuauary,  1936,  the  Spanish  peseta,  which  con- 


^Juan  Alvarez,  Temas  de  Historia  Icon(5inica  Argentina! 


Equivalencia  actual  de  las  monedas  usadas  en  el  terr i- 
torio  argentino  (1492-1928),  pp.  31,  35. 


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SPECIAL  AIDS 

tains  64.4301  grains  of  silver,"^  had  a  par  value  of  $0.3267.^ 
At  this  rate,  therefore,  one  grain  of  silver  was  valued  at 
$0.00507.  A  ten  peseta  gold  coin,  which  is  not  in  circula- 
tion, contains  44.8036  grains  of  gold.   One  grain  of  gold, 
therefore,  was  valued  at  $0.0729,  and  one  ounce  at  $34.9920. 
The  weight  of  the  silver  maravedf  was  known  for  definite 
periods  "between  1312  and  1550.   Once  its  value  was  deter- 
mined, the  maraved^  was  used  as  a  unit  in  ascertaining  the 
par  value  of  other  coins.  For  that  purpose,  the  following 
tahle  was  used: 


Table  I 

Maravedf 

Date 

Number  of  Maraved£s   Contents  of 

Par  Value 

To 

the  Cologne 

Mark   Tine  Silver, 
Grains 

United 

States, 

1936 

1312 

130 

25.85 

$0.1310 

1324 

125 

26.86 

0.1361 

1368 

200 

16.79 

0.0851 

1379 

250 

13.43 

0.0680 

1390 

500 

6.71 

0.0340 

1406 

1,000 

3.35 

0.0169 

1454 

2,250 

1.49 

0.0075 

1550^ 

2,210^ 

1.52^ 

0.0077 

In  determining  the  par  value  of  coins  used  during  the  reign 
of  Alfonso  the  Wise  and  "before,  the  following  table  was  used; 

Table  II 


Date 


Najne  of 
Coin 


Metal 


Weight  in 
Grains 


Par  Value  United 
States  Currency, 
1936 


Goths   libra 


gold 


4,608 


$335.9232 


i 


United  States  Department  of  Commerce,  Handtook  of  Foreign 
Currencies .   Washington:   ttovernment  Printing  Office, 
1936,  p.  186. 

^rbid_.  ,  p.  185. 

^W.    A.    Shaw,    The    History   of_  Currency,    1252    to_  1894,    &.    P. 
Putnam's    Sons,    New  York,    N.    Y.,    1899,    p.    321. 

-97- 


HANDBOOK   FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF   SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


Table   II    (cont'd) 


Goths 

onza 

gold 

Goths 

ochava 

gold 

Goths 

tomfn 

gold 

Goths 

sueldo 

gold 

Goths 

sueldo 

silver 

Goths 

denario 

silver 

Moors 

maravedf 

silver 

James  I , 

Aragon 

maravedf 

silver 

Alfonso  X"^ 

maravedf ' 

silver''' 

576 
72 

12 

96 
96 
72 
56 

14 

10' 


$41.9904 
5.2488 
0.8748 
6.9984 
0.4867 
0.3650 
0.2839 

0.0709 
0.0507 


Aside  from  the  fact  that  the  subject  of  international 
exchange  is  extremely  complicated  and  beyond  our  field  of 
study,  we  believe  that  historians  are  principally  interested 
in  approximate  equivalent  par  values  that  may  be  safely  used 
in  historical  investigation  of  a  general  nature.   Conse- 
q^uently,  we  have  listed  in  alphabetical  order  the  names  of 
most  Spanish  coins  in  use  in  Spain  and  her  colonies  from  the 
twelfth  through  the  twentieth  century.   Next  to  the  name 
of  the  coin,  we  have  placed  the  name  of  the  predominant 
metal  to  be  found  in  the  coin  in  brackets,  except  in  cases 
where  it  could  not  be  readily  ascertained.   In  the  second 
column  we  have  listed  the  date  when  the  coin  was  struck, 
the  date  when  it  was  in  use,  or  the  name  of  the  king  during 
whose  reign  the  value  given  was  current.   The  third  column 
lists  the  equivalent  par  value  in  United  States  currency 
for  January,  1936. 

SPANISH  COINS  WITH  THEIR  APPROXIMATE  PAR  VALUE  IN 
UNITED  STATES  CURRENCY 


Name 


Date 


Approximate 
Equivalent  in 
U.  S.  Currency, 
1936 


Aguila 

Agneus  Dei     ( silver] 

Agneus  Dei  [Vell6n] 


1497 
1388 
1394 


$3.7223 
0.034 
0.0056 


"^W.  A.  Shaw,  The  History  of  Currency.  1252  to  1894,  B.  P. 
Putnam's  Sons,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  1899,  pp.  319-323. 


-98- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


Agneus  Dei  (Vell6n  , 


Alfonsi  J  gold, 


blanca  [Vell6n] 


Henry  IV, 
1454-1474 

Alfonso  VI , 

Henry  IV, 
1454-1474 


0.0009 
0.4867 

0.0009 


"blanca    ^ silver. 


"blanca    [Vell6n 


"blanca  nueva  [VellSn, 


Henry  III, 
1394-1406 

1497 

John  III, 
1406-1454 


"blanca  vieja  [Vell6n]   John  III, 


cacao  f  nut  j 

castellano 

[gold. 

castellano 

[gold. 

castellano 

[gold, 

castellano 

[gold] 

castellano 

(gold. 

castellano 

[gold, 

castellano 

[gold, 

centavo  , copper. 

cincuen 

0.0170 
0.0031 

0.0169 


cincuen  (Velldn 


1406-1454 

0.0084 

1790 

0.0011 

Alfonso  XI, 

1302-1350 

6.9984 

1455 

3.1500 

June  13,  1497 

5.1128 

1500 

5.1128 

Philip  III, 

December  13,  1612 

4.5574 

Charles  II, 

1686 

28.8150 

Philip  V, 

March  17,  1719 

28.8150 

1850 

0.0156 

Henry  III , 

1394-1406 

0.0170 

1455 

0.0037 

-99- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


cornado  jSilver] 


cornado  (Vell($n) 


cornado  nuevo  [Vell6nj 


cornado  nuevo  [Vell6n, 


cornado  viejo  (Vell^nj 

cornado  viejo  fVell6n| 

corona  fgold] 
coronado  ,  silver] 
cruzado  ^ silver] 


Henry  II, 
1369 

$0.0851 

John  III, 
1406-1454 

0.0084 

Henry  III, 
1394-1406 

0.0056 

Henry  IV, 
1454-1474 

0.0037 

Henry  III, 
1394-1406 

0.0056 

Henry  IV, 
1454-1474 

0.0009 

1497 

3.7570 

1284-1295 

0.1017 

Henry  II, 
1369-1379 

0.0238 

cruzado  de  oro 

portuguls  [gold] 

1500 

3. 

9204 

cruzado  de  Portugal 

[gold.] 

June  13,  1497 

3 

9204 

cuartilla  [Silver] 

1800 

0 

0528 

cuartillo  ( copper] 

1497 

0 

0857 

cuarto  excelente  jgoldj 

June  26,  1475 

1 

5750 

dinero 

1252 

0 

0050 

dinero  prieto  [Vell6n] 

1256 

0 

0650 

dinero  nuevo  {Vell6n] 

Henry  III, 

1394-1406 

0 

.0034 

dinero  nuevo  (Vell6n] 

Henry  IV, 

1454-1474 

0 

.0038 

■100- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 


dinero  viejo  (Vell6nj 

dinero  vie jo  jvell6nj 

dobla  [gold] 

dotla  [gold] 

dobla  [gold] 

do"bla  [gold] 

dotla  [gold] 
i 

f    dotila  [gold] 

dobla  [gold] 

dotla  [gold] 

dobla  [gold] 

dotla  [gold] 

dotla  [gold] 
do"bla  [gold] 
dobla  [gold] 
dobla  [gold] 
dobla  castellana 


Henry  III, 

1394-1406 

$0.0034 

Henry  IV, 

1454-1474 

0.0038 

Alfonso  X 

1252-1284 

3.5490 

Sancho  IV, 

1284-1295 

2.8820 

Ferdinand  IV, 

1295-1312 

3.1440 

Alfonso  XI , 

1302-1350 

3.2750 

Henry  II , 

September  1,  1369 

3.2338 

John  I , 

1379-1390 

3.7400 

John  I , 

1387 

3.4000 

John  I, 

1388 

2.3800 

Henry  III, 

1394-1406 

3.2440 

Henry  IV, 

1454-1474 

3.1500 

1462 

4.4100 

1465 

6.3000 

1480 

3.2625 

June  13,  1497 

3.7440 

John  I. 

December  26,  1388  2.3800 


-101- 


HANDBOOK   FOR   TRANSLATORS  OF   SPANISH   HISTORICAL   DOCUMENTS 


dolila  de   la  banda   j  gold |  Juan  II, 

1406-1454 

dobla  de  la  banda  f gold] 1434 

dobla  de  la  banda  fgold'jl442 

dobla  de  la  banda (gold]  1472 

dobla  inarroq_uf  [gold 


Henry  II , 
September  1,  1369 


dobla  morisca  jgold] 

dobla  morisca  .gold] 
dobl6n  |gold] 
dobl6n  (gold)  de  a  8 
ducado  (gold] 

ducado  J  gold] 

ducado  ( gold  , 

duc-^do  veneciano  [gold]  1500 

duro  (Silver] 

Enrique  [ gold  j 

Enrique  (gold] 

Enrique  castellano 
(gold] 

escudito  (gold] 

escudo  (gold] 

escudo  [gold] 


1.8759 
1.7576 
1.6900 
2.2500 

3.0696 


John  I , 

December  26, 

1388 

2.1760 

1455 

0.2570 

1497 

5.1128 

1609-1642 

27.8981 

Henry  III, 

1394-1406 

1.0200 

1455 

1.2375 

June  13,  1497 

3.9204 

1500 

3.9000 

June  13,  1497 

2.7442 

Henry  IV 

1471 

3.1500 

1497 

4.9920 

February  20, 

1475 

3.2625 

1772-1811 

1.8948 

September  1, 

1369 

3.0696 

1537 

3.9204 

-102- 


SPECIAL   AIDS 


escudo  1 

gold] 

Charles  V, 
1516-1556 

$3.9204 

escudo  1 

gold] 

NovemlDer  23,  1566 

3.4875 

escudo  ( 

gold] 

January  1 ,  1609 

3.4875 

escudo 

gold| 

December  13,  1642 

3.4875 

escudo 

gold] 

January  12,  1643 

3.4875 

escudo 

gold] 

November  14,  1652 

3.4875 

escudo 

gold] 

October  14,  1586 

3.4875 

escudo 

[Silver] 

October  16,  1686 

1.7315 

escudo 

gold] 

November  26,  1586 

3.4875 

escudo 

gold] 

February  8,  1725 

3.4875 

escudo 

gold] 

September  2,  1''28 

3.4875 

escudo 

[gold] 

September  16,  1755 

3.4875 

escudo 

[gold] 

1812-1862 

3.9160 

escudo  c 
(gold 

ie  la  corona 

) 

1500 

3.5360 

excelen 

te  |gold] 

June  26,  1475 

6.3000 

excelen 

te  [gold] 

June  13,  1497 

10.2420 

excelen 
la  Gr 

te  entero  de 
anada  (gold) 

1497 

3.9204 

florfn 

[gold] 

February  20,  1475 

1 . 8000 

florfn  de  Arag6n 
[gold] 

florfn  de  Arag6n 
igold, 


September  1,  1369 

Henry  III, 
1394-1406 


1.9573 


1.7871 


-103- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


florfn  de  arag6n  [gold] 


Henry  iV, 
1454-1474 


florin  de  Arag6n  (goldj  June  13,  1497 


florin  de  Florencia 
[gold) 

florin  de  Florencia 
[gold] 

grano 

gros  tournois 

justo  fgold] 
le6n  [gold] 
libra  [gold] 
maravedl  [gold] 
maravedl  noveno 
maravedl  burgal^s 
maravedl  vie jo 
maravedl  bianco 
maravedl  antiguo  [gold] 
maravedl  [Silver] 
inaravedl[  silver] 

maravedl  de  blanca 

maravedl  noveno  [Silver] 

maravedl  [Vell6n) 
maravedf  [Vell6n] 


$1.7020 
3.7223 


September  1,  1369   2.1275 


1500 

3.7223 

1750 

0.0190 

Alfonso  X, 
1252-1284 

0.0600 

1497 

5.8760 

1157 

4.3800 

Goths 

35.9232 

1157 

6.9817 

1252 

0.0507 

1252 

0.6105 

1252 

0.6105 

1252 

0.6105 

1252 

5.8500 

1252-1284 

0.0507 

Henry  IV, 
1454-1474 

0.0075 

Henry  IV 
1454-1474 

0.0210 

Alfonso  X, 
1252-1284 

0.0650 

1537-1566 

0.0099 

1609-March,  1625    0.0076 

-104- 

SPECIAL  AIDS 


maravedf  [Vell6nj 
maravedf  [Vell6nj 
maravedf  fVell6ni 


March,  1625 
April,  1636 

May,  1636 
January,  1638 

January,  1638 
October,  1641 


maravedf  [vell6nj        1641-1642 

maravedf  de  la  guerra    1252-1284 

maravedf ,morisco  [gold]  Alfonso  X, 

1252-1284 

maravedf  viejo 

maravedf  prieto 
marco  ( silver ] 

marco  Alfonsi  jgoldj 
Marfa  (Silver ^ 
meaja  nueva  (Vell6n] 

meaja  vieja  [Vell6nj 

medio 

noble  (gold) 
ochava  f copper ^ 
octavo  [Copper] 
octavo  [imaginary] 

onza  [gold] 
onza  [gold J 


0.0071 

0.0063 

0.0061 
0.0052 
0.0507 

6.9817 


Sancho  IV, 

1284-1294 

0.6105 

1258 

0.2028 

Alfonso  X, 

1252-1284 

6.3375 

April  14,  1299 

335.9232 

1686 

1.3884 

Henry  III, 

1394-1406 

0.0005 

Henry  IV, 

1454-1472 

0.0037 

1750 

0.0898 

1497 

11.1699 

1750 

0.0053 

1497 

0.0428 

1750 

0.0024 

1509-1642 

27.9001 

1750 

27.9001 

-105- 

HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


onza  (gold) 
6vulo  (vell6nj 

pepi6n  [Vell6n| 

peseta  jsilver] 

peseta  [Silver] 

peso,  or  real  de  a  8 
peso  (Silver) 
peso  [Silver] 
peso  de  tepuzque  [Silverj 
peso  duro  [Silverj 
peso  fuerte  [Silverj 
pil6n  [Copper] 
real  , silverj 

real  ( silverj 

real  [Silverj 

real  [Silverj 

real  [Silver] 
real  rsilverj 
real  , silverj 


1812-1862 

$26.5770 

John  III, 

1406-1454 

0.0042 

Ferdinand  III, 

1217-1252 

0.0325 

Philip  III, 

1598-1621 

0.5227 

Isabel  II, 

April  15,  1848 

0.7775 

1642-1686 

1.5844 

1800 

1.4584 

1812-1862 

1.5632 

1520 

2.8288 

1800 

1.8230 

1777-1811 

1.7151 

1750 

0.0066 

Alfonso  XI, 

1312-1350 

0.2620 

Pedro  I, 

1350-1360 

0.4083 

Henry  II, 

1369-1379 

0.2553 

John  I, 

1379-1390 

0.2720 

December  26,  1388 

0 . 2040 

1391 

0.2720 

Henry  III, 

1394-1406 

0.1020 

■106- 


SPECIAL  AIDS 

al 

[  silver  j 

1406 

al 

[Silver] 

John  II, 

real 

real 
real 
real 

real 

real 

real 

real 

real 
real 

real 
real 


silver] 

silver] 
silver ) 
vell6n] 

vell6nj 

velldn ] 

vell6n] 

vell6n.i 


silver 


silver] 

vell6n] 
silver  j 


real  de  a  8  [Silver  | 

reis  [imaginary, 
salute  [gold] 
salute  J  gold  I 
seisin  [Silverj 


1406-1454 

Henry  IV, 
1454-1474 

April  18,  1471 

1497 

Philip  III, 
1609-1625 

March,  1625 
April,  1636 

May,  1636 
January,  1638 

January,  1638 
October,  1642 

December,  1641 


$0.0507 

0.0718 

0.1500 
0.2625 
0 . 3546 

0.0212 

0.2286 

0.2123 

0.1960 


July,  1642 

0.1633 

1812-1862 

0.1943 

Philip  IV, 

1652 

0.1960 

1686 

0.1155 

1772-1811 

0.2123 

Charles  II, 

October  16,  1686 

1.6988 

1800 

0.0046 

John  II,  1442 

1.6900 

1497 

3.9118 

1303 

0.0480 

-107- 

HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


seisino  j silver] 

sueldo  f silver] 
sueldo  J  silver) 

sueldo  [Silver] 

tlacc  [WOod,  copper] 
tomfn  (Silver J 
tost6n  jsilver] 


Alfonso  X, 

1252-1284 

$0.0480 

1157 

0.4867 

Ferdinand  III , 

1217-1252 

0.0407 

Alfonso  X, 

1252-1284 

0.0407 

1790 

0.0264 

1790 

0.2112 

1800 

0.8492 

-108- 


CHAPTER  Y 
IRAN  SCR  I PTI  0)1 


Occasionally  the  difficulties  encountered  in  reading  a 
document  necessitate  its  transcription  before  an  attempt 
can  "be  made  to  translate  it.  Moreover,  in  order  to  prolong 
the  life  of  fragile  docioments  or  those  that  are  in  great 
demand,  it  is  often  necessary  to  make  transcriptions.  What- 
ever the  purpose  of  the  transcription  may  "be,  any  copy  of 
a  document  should  "be  so  faithful  and  reliable  that  the 
reader  will  not  "be  compelled  to  refer  to  the  original  in 
order  to  verify  its  content.   Consequently,  the  transcri"ber 
should  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  transcription  of  a  docu- 
ment does  not  imply  the  right  to  edit  it.^ 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  forms  employed  in  re- 
cording Spanish  historical  documents  were  not  an  innovation 
created  by  the  author  overnight  or  introduced  on  the  spur 
of  the  moment.   They  were  the  product  of  gradiial  but  con- 
stant experimentation  by  writers  throughout  the  centuries. 

Because  of  the  scarcity  of  suitable  writing  materials, 
records  had  to  be  concise;  since  they  served  as  the  final 
authority  in  legal  matters,  they  had  to  be  accurate;  at  the 
same  time,  they  had  to  be  conveniently  arranged  for  easy 
reference.  The  results  of  such  experience  were  gathered 
and  taught  in  a  few  places  of  learning  to  a  limited  number 
of  scribes,  who  went  out  to  record  the  vast  quantities  of 
doc^uments  which  are  now  resting  in  archives  and  awaiting 
the  searcher  or  translator  of  today.   It  is  evident  that 
each  form  was  employed  by  the  scribe  to  answer  a  definite 
purpose.   If  he  used  abbreviations,  they  quite  frequently 
occured  at  the  end  of  a  line  where  the  space  was  too  lim- 

The  discussion  of  the  various  pro'blems  of  transcription 
and  the  rules  set  down  at  the  end  of  this  chapter  are  the 
result  of  the  study  of  certain  rules  for  transcription 
set  forth  in  various  typed  and  printed  manuals.   Special 
attention  was  given  to  rules  discussed  in:   (l)  Copying 
Manuscripts,  (pamphlet)  Minnesota  Historical  Society, 
1935;  H.G.T.  Christopher,  Paleography  and  Archives , 
Chapter  III:   "Transcription  of  Manuscripts,"  Grafton  & 
Co.,  London,  1938;  and  several  sets  of  typed  rules  used 
in  the  Archives  Collections,  The  University  of  Texas. 

-109- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


ited  for  the  entire  word;  if  he  employed  such  expressions 
as  Rayado ,  tachado ,  and  no  vale ,  he  did  so  to  protect  the 
reader  against  subsequent  tampering  with  the  document  "by 
•unauthorized  and  possibly  malevolent  hands.   If,  in  deposi- 
tions, he  reversed  the  normal  order  of  paragraphing  and  re- 
sorted to  "hanging  indentation,"  with  the  first  line  flush 
with  the  left  margin  and  the  following  lines  indented,  he 
did  so  in  order  to  afford  easy  reference  to  the  testimony 
of  different  parties. 

1.  ParagraTPhing.   In  the  transcription  of  original 
documents  the  paragraphing  of  the  original  should  always 
be  retained.   In  transcribing  translations,  however,  two 
exceptions  can  be  made.   The  first  concerns  depositions  in 
which  the  original  has  the  first  line  of  the  paragraph 
flush  with  the  left  margin  and  indents  the  following  lines. 
In  this  case  the  usual  paragraph  form  should  be  used.   The 
second  exception  applies  to  the  transcription  of  copies. 
The  original  copy  of  a  document  will  often  have  a  period 
and  a  double  dash  to  indicate  the  beginning  of  a  new  para- 
graph in  the  original',  in  these  cases,  the  copyist  should 
restore  the  original  paragraph  form. 

2.  Caipitalization,  spelling,  and  punctuation.   The 
capitalization  of  the  original  should  be  kept  in  the  trans- 
cription of  an  original  document.   In  a  translation,  how- 
ever, modern  capitalization  should  be  used.   Spelling  of 
all  words  should  be  retained  when  transcribing  an  original 
dociiment.  When  transcribing  a  translation,  all  person 

or  place  names  should  be  spelled  exactly  as  they  appear  in 
the  original;  otherwise,  spelling  used  in  the  original 
should  be  ignored.   No  change  in  the  punctuation  of  an 
original  should  be  made  when  making  a  transcription.   In 
fact,  all  punctuation,  seals,  stamps,  errors,  marks,  or 
any  special  design  recorded  on  the  original  should  be  re- 
tained.  It  is  occasionally  necessary  to  copy  unus"ual 
symbols  and  obsolete  designs  by  hand.   Since  it  is  practi- 
cally impossible  to  copy  most  seals  and  stamps,  their  posi- 
tion on  the  manuscript  snould  be  indicated  by  the  use  of 
the  word  "seal"  or  "stamp"  enclosed  in  brackets.   Any 
special  symbols,  other  than  punctuation,  should  also  be 
retained  in  the  transcription  of  translations. 

3.  Superscript  Letters.   Spanish  historical  documents 
contain  an  abundance  of  abbreviations  with  superscript  let- 


-110- 


TRANSCRIPTION 


ters.   In  printing  such  abbreviations,  it  has  been  customary 
to  use  two  fonts  of  type,  a  large  size  for  the  text  and.  a 
smaller  measure  for  the  superscripts.^  In  transcribing 
original  documents,  for  the  sake  of  accuracy  all  superscript 
letters  should  be  written  above  the  line  of  writing.   Ob- 
viously, this  practice  necessitates  double-spaced  typing. 
In  transcribing  translations,  only  superscript  letters  used 
in  signatures  should  be  retained;  in  all  other  cases,  the 
complete  word  should  be  transcribed. 

4.  Brackets .   Since,  in  the  translation  and  transcrip- 
tion of  historical  documents,  the  goal  is  the  achievement 
of  accuracy,  brackets  are  essential  and  should  be  employed 
in  DOth  transcriptions  and  translations  when  copying  any 
material  not  clearly  expressed;  furthermore,  transcriptions 
and  translations  of  historical  documents  are  made  primarily 
to  be  used  as  source  materials  by  students  of  history. 
Consequently,  in  order  to  obviate  the  necessity  of  referring 
to  the  original,  it  is  important  to  make  use  of  brackets  in 
writing  out  abbreviations,  particularly  of  proper  names, 

and  to  enclose  any  explanatory  matter  added  to  translations. 
The  reading  of  transcriptions  or  translations  encumbered 
with  brackets  is  a  most  annoying  experience.   Nevertheless, 
for  the  sake  of  accuracy,  brackets  must  be  employed.   When 
documents  are  prepared  for  publication,  however,  since 
they  are  usually  edited,  brackets  may  be  eliminated.   The 
parts  of  words  that  have  been  torn  out  of  the  original, 
whenever  it  is  possible  to  determine  what  they  were, 
should  be  placed  within  brackets.   If  words  supplied  for 
clarity  immediately  follow  material  placed  within  brackets 
to  complete  an  abbreviation,  only  one  set  of  brackets 
should  be  used.   The  words  "a,"  "an,"  or  "hereby,"  or 
the  component  parts  of  progressive  tenses  should  not  be 
enclosed  within  brackets. 

5.  Deletions.   Occasionally  the  writer  of  an  original 


2 

The  eunoiint  of  editorial  and  printing  time  cons-omed  by 

this  method  is  so  great  that  printers  have  recently  re- 
sorted to  an  innovation  in  the  transcription  of  suDer- 
script  letters.   They  place  such  letters  on  the  line  of 
writing  and  add  a  period.   This  practice  has  been  adopt- 
ed by  the  "DAPP"  in  Mexico  City  (which  corresponds  ap- 
proximately to  the  U.  S.  Grovernment  Printing  Office),  cy 
Hoy,  a  leading  literary-historical  magazine  of  that  city, 
and  "by  other  similar  publications. 

-Ill- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


historical  document  marked  out  words  or  phrases  and  placed 
corrections  either  on  the  line  of  writing  or  between  the 
lines.   To  make  an  accurate  transcription  of  everything 
that  appears  in  the  original,  it  is  advisable  to  insert 
such  deletions  in  exactly  the  same  order  and  at  the  same 
point  where  they  occur;  but  deletions  written  between  the 
lines  should  be  placed  on  the  line  of  writing.  All  dele- 
tions are  indicated  by  striking  a  hyphen  over  each  letter. 
In  translations,  all  deletions  should  be  translated  and 
transcribed  whenever  possible;  that  is,  when  enough  symbols 
are  present  to  indicate  the  thought  intended  by  the  writer. 
If  translation  would  necessitate  the  use  of  brackets, 
however,  deleted  material  should  be  left  in  the  original. 
Likewise,  unfinished  words  other  than  abbreviations  should 
be  left  in  the  original  followed  by  three  single-spaced 
dots  to  indicate  their  incomplete  form.   When  an  entire 
paragraph,  or  a  page,  is  deleted,  the  word  "Deleted," 
should  be  enclosed  in  brackets  and  placed  at  the  beginning; 
the  deleted  section  should  then  be  translated  and  trans- 
cribed as  usvial;  that  is,  it  is  not  then  necessary  to 
strike  a  hyphen  over  each  letter. 

6.   Pagination   Two  slanting  bars  (//),  immediately 
followed  by  a  superscript  number  of  the  page  just  begin- 
ning, should  be  inserted  in  the  transcription  at  the  point 
corresponding  to  the  place  where  each  new  page  begins  in 
the  original;  no  space  should  be  allowed  between  the  first 
letter  of  the  new  page  and  the  two  bars.   It  is  not  neces- 
sary, however,  to  place  these  bars  at  the  head  of  the  first 
page  of  the  transcription.  Furthermore,  the  letter  "v" 
should  follow  the  page  number  to  indicate  the  verso  of  the 
page  in  the  original;  e.g.,  //2,  //2v^  //3^  Z/"^^,  etc. 
Spanish  historical  manuscripts  usually  are  written  on  both 
sides  of  the  page,  but  only  the*  recto  is  numbered.  When- 
ever the  original  writer  wished  to  refer  to  the  verso  of  a 
page  he  would  merely  state,  for  instance,  pagina  _3  vuelta, 
meaning,  page  3  verso.   Consequently,  the  method  stated 
above  can  be  used  with  admirable  accuracy  in  the  transcrip- 
tion of  translations.   In  certain  types  of  Spanish  dociiments, 
one  or  more  pages  of  related  documents  are  interpolated 
between  the  regularly  numbered  pages,  thus  breaking  the 
sequence;  that  is,  one  or  more  pages  may  be  inserted  be- 
tween page  11^^   and  page  //^.   In  such  cases,  such  inter- 
polations should  be  indicated  as  la,  lb,  2a,  2b,  etc.   If 
a  dociiment  has  one  or  more  pages  before  the  first  numbered 


-112- 


TRANSCRIPTION 


page,  such  pages  should  "be  marked  merely  a,  b,  c,  and  so  on. 

When  the  pages  of  the  original  are  not  numbered,  it  is 
advisable  to  number  them  according  to  the  system  set  down 
above.   If  writing  on  manuscripts  is  permissible,  it  should 
be  done  with  a  medium  soft  lead  pencil.  When  transcribing 
such  additions,  they  should  be  placed  within  brackets.   In 
the  transcription  of  historical  documents,  a  gap  caused  by 
a  missing  page  should  be  indicated  by  placing  the  words 
"Page  missing,"  in  brackets,  at  the  end  of  the  last  line. 

7.  Numbers.   Numbers  should  be  transcribed  exactly  as 
they  are  in  the  original;  and  they  should  be  translated  in 
the  same  manner.   If  the  original  used  Romain  or  Arabic 
numbers,  the  same  kind  should  be  used  in  the  transcription 
or  translation.   If  numbers  are  spelled  out  in  the  orig- 
inal, they  should  also  be  spelled  out  in  the  transcription 
or  translation. 

8.  Italics.   In  transcribing  documents,  words  under- 
lined in  the  original  should  be  Tinderlined  in  the  trans- 
cription.  In  translations,  three  types  of  words  should  be 
underlined:   (l)  words  marked  foreign  in  the  latest  edition 
of  Webster' s  New  International  Dictionary  of  the  English 
Language;  (2)  words  that  do  not  appear  in  Webster's  dic- 
tionary; and  (3)  words  underlined  in  the  original. 

9.  Rubric,  cross ,  stamp ,  and  seal.   Spanish  writers 
observed  the  custom  of  supplementing  their  signature  with 
a  rubric,  or  a  flourish  of  the  pen,  placed  immediately  be- 
neath their  name.   The  rubric  served  to  certify  the  signa- 
ture; sometimes  the  rubric  alone  was  used  to  indicate  a 
signature.   Except  by  tracing  or  photographing,  it  is  prac- 
tically impossible  to  reproduce  rubrics  in  transcriptions 
or  translations;  but  their  presence  in  the  original  should 
be  indicated.   The  word  "Rubric"  should  be  enclosed  in 
brackets  and  written  directly  beneath  the  signature. 

Many  Spanish  documents  have  a  cross  printed  on  the  top 
of  the  page.   The  cro?s  may  be  indicated  by  writing  the 
Word  "Cross"  within  brackets  at  the  exact  point  where  the 
cross  is  placed  in  the  original.   Sometimes,  persons  who 
could  not  write  would  sign  their  name  with  a  cross.   In 
such  cases  the  word  "Mark"  within  brackets  should  be  placed 
at  the  exact  point  where  the  cross  was  made  by  the  signer. 


•113- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


Stamps  and  seals  are  commonly  found  on  legal  documents. 
In  order  to  indicate  a  difference  in  transcription  Tsetween 
a  stamp  and  a  seal,  the  rule  has  "been  established  that  any 
impression  seemingly  placed  on  the  paper  "before  it  was  used 
for  writing,  except  a  watermark,  is  classified  as  a  seal; 
whereas,  a  stamp  is  any  impression  made  on  the  paper  after 
it  was  used,  such  as  a  notary's  stamp,  or  a  government 
stamp  pasted  on  the  document.  A  wax  staiirp  is  indicated  "by 
placing  the  words  "Wax  stsimp"  enclosed  in  brackets  at  the 
point  where  the  stamp  occurs  in  the  original.   The  words 
"seal"  and  "stamp"  are  also  placed  on  a  transcription  or 
translation  within  brackets  to  indicate  the  existence  of 
such  impressions  on  the  document.   It  is  occasionally  pos- 
sible to  read  the  words  inscribed  on  the  seal  or  stamp.   In 
such  cases  the  inscription  should  be  transcribed  and  placed 
within  brackets  immediately  after  the  word  "seal"  or  "stamp". 

10.   Marginal  notes ,  addres?^es ,  and  endorsements.    Sev- 
eral kinds  of  notes  appear  in  Spanish  historical  documents. 
Those  which  give  a  s^'ommary  of  the  document  should  be  placed 
at  the  beginning  or  at  the  end  of  the  transcription,  as  in 
the  original,  preceded  by  the  symbols  iM.N.j  in  brackets 
and  spaced  as  indicated  here.  As  a  rule,  other  notes,  in- 
cluding those  prefaced  by  the  abbreviations  P.  D.  ^  posdata  ^  , 
or  N.  B.  , nota  bene  j  ,  should  be  placed  in  brackets  at  the 
end  of  the  document.   Any  marginal  notations  which  would  be 
obviously  out  of  place  at  the  end  of  the  transcription,  how- 
ever, should  be  inserted  on  the  side  of  the  transcription 
at  the  point  corresponding  to  the  place  where  they  appear 
in  the  original;  a  cordillera,  or  relay  list,  would  fall  in 
this  class.   Cattle  brands,  sketches  of  items  introduced  as 
court  evidence  and  other  symbols  appearing  in  the  original 
should  be  faithfully  traced  in  pencil  in  the  transcription 
and  later  done  in  India  ink. 

A  reply  written  on  the  margin  of  a  letter,  with  possi- 
bly a  different  date,  place  of  writing,  and  signature  of  its 
own,  is  a  letter,  not  a  marginal  note,  and  should  be  treated 
as  such. 

Addresses  and  endorsements  should  be  copied  at  the  end 
of  the  document,  preceded  by  the  bracketed  word  "Address" 
or  '.'Endorsement."   The  address  should  precede  the  endorse- 
ment, for  that  is  the  order  in  which  they  were  written  orig- 
inally. 


■114- 


TRANSCRIPTION 


11.  Expedientes.   An  expediente .  is  a  dossier  or  file 
containing  documents  relating  to  a  single  administrative  or 
judicial  process  wherein  each  of  the  req^uisite  legal  steps 
has  documentary  representation.   If  all  the  required  acts 

to  bring  the  process  to  a  conclusion  have  "been  complied  with, 
the  dossier  may  he  said  to  be  an  expediente  complete   How- 
ever, if  the  process  has  been  arrested,  the  expediente  is 
incompleto.   Completeness  or  incompleteness  refer  to  the 
process  not  to  the  documentary  representation. 3  Expedientes 
should  be  translated  or  transcribed  as  a  unit;  that  is,  all 
documents  should  be  retained  in  the  same  order  in  which 
they  appear  in  the  original.   The  opening  line  of  each  sepa- 
rate document  within  the  expediente ,  however,  should  start 
a  new  page;  and  the  identification  symbols,  including  page 
numbers  in  the  expediente ,  should  be  placed  at  the  end  of 
each  document. 

12.  Identification.   If  is  customary  to  place  at  the 
end  of  each  transcription  or  translation  a  symbol  or  series 
of  symbols  indicating  the  nature  and  origin  of  the  document. 
These  symbols  show  whether  the  document  was  printed  or  hand- 
written, whether  it  was  in  the  handwriting  of  the  author  or 
someone  else,  and  other  necessary  facts  to  be  known  about 
the  document.   The  following  list  has  been  compiled  from 
symbols  employed  by  various  institutions: 

Symbols  Explanation 

A.L.S.  Autograph  letter  signed. 

(The  letter  was  written 
and  signed  by  the  same 
hand . ) 

A.L.  Autograph  letter.   (The 

letter  was  not  signed.) 

L.S.  Letter  signed.  (The  letter 

was  in  one  hand;  the  signa- 
ture in  another.) 

A.D.S.  Autograph  docujnent  signed. 

(The  docxament,  any  instru- 
ment, usually  not  a  letter, 


•^This  definition  was  supplied  ty  Mr.  Ralph  G.  Lounstury, 
The  National  Archives,  Washington,  L.  C. 

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HANDBOOK   FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF   SPANISH   HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


A.D.S.    (cont'd)  was  written  and  signed 

"by  the    same  hand.) 

D.S.  Document  signed.   (The  doc- 

loment  was  written  l^y   one 
hand  and  signed  "by  another.) 

A.Df.S.  Autograph  draft  signed. 

(The  draft  was  written 
and  signed  by  the  same  hand.) 

A.Df.  Autograph  draft.   (The 

draft  was  not  signed.) 

Df.S.  Draft  signed.   (The  body 

of  the  draft  was  written 
in  one  hand;  the  signature 
in  another.) 

0.  Copy.   (a  copy  of  a  letter 

or  document  in  Spanish 
historical  manuscripts  is 
characterized  by  the  use 
of  double  dashes  to  indi- 
cate paragraphs.) 

M.N.  Marginal  note.   (A  marginal 

note  is  usually  a  summary 
of  the  contents  of  the 
document. ) 

S.  Expediente. 

Df.  Draft.   (A  draft  is  usually 

recognized  by  interlinea- 
tions and  deletions) 

P.  Printed.   (This  symbol  may 

be  placed  before  some  of 
the  others  listed  above  to 
indicate  that  the  document 
is  printed. ) 

P.  Fragment.   (This  symbol  may 

be  placed  after  any  of  the 
foregoing  symbols  to  indicate 
that  the  document  is  incomplete.) 

-116- 


TRANSCRIPTION 


C.S.  Copy  signed.   (Copies  are 

sometimes  signed  by  the 
notary  or  the  copyist.) 

Ex.  Extract.   (An  extract  is 

different  from  a  fragment 
in  that  it  is  usually 
complete. ) 

L.B.C.  Letter-Book  copy.      (A  copy 

of  a  document  taken  from 
a  letter  "book.   The  date 
of  the  letter  book,  and 
the  page  where  the  copy 
was  taken  from  should  be 
given.) 

L.B.C.S.  Letter-Book  copy   signed. 

L.B.C. P.  Letter-Book  copy  press. 

(The  copy  was  made  from 
an  old-fashioned  letter- 
press. ) 

M.  Memorandum. 

M.S.  Memorandum  signed.   (The 

memorandiim  was  written  in 
one  hand  and  signed  in 
another. ) 

N.S.  Note  signed. 

T.L.D.  Typed  letter  dictated. 

(The  typed  letter  was 
signed  by  the  copyist.) 

T.L.S.  Typed  letter   signed.      (The 

typed  letter  was  signed 
by  the  writer.) 

P.D.S.  rhw.  Printed  Document  Signed, 

rubric  handwritten.  (The 
signature  is  printed,  but 
the  rubric  is  handwritten.) 


-117- 


HANDBOOK    FOR   TRANSLATORS  OF   SPANISH   HISTORICAL   DOCUMENTS 


13.      Keyboard.      A  typewriter  equipped  with  accents  and 
other   special   symbols  used  in  making  transcriptions  of  orig- 
inal documents   is  essential   in  this   type   of  work.     By 
eliminating  a  few   sj^Tiibols   on  a  standard  keyboard  and   sub- 
stituting the   desired  characters,    a  fairly  flexible  key- 
board may  be   obtained,   which  may  be    suitable   for  the   trans- 
cription of  documents  written  in  Spanish,   French,    G-erman 
or  English.      The   changes  indicated  in  the   chart  below  have 
been  used  for   several  years  and  found  to  be   satisfactory 
for  a  standard  keyboard  of  42   typebars   or  84  characters. 

(1) 
"  t  $  1  _         &  '  (  )  I 


2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 
(2) 

8 

9 

0 

- 

9, 

W 

E 

R 

T 

Y 

U 

I 

0 

P 

q 

w 

e 

r 

t 

(3) 

u 

i 

0 

P 

A 

S 

E 

F 

G 

H 

J 

K 

L 

: 

a 

s 

d 

f 

g 

h 
(4) 

J 

k 

1 

9 

Z 

X 

C 

V 

B 

N 

M 

? 

" 

i 

zxcvbnm  ,  .  / 

With  this  arrangement  the  capital  "0"  is  used  for  zero; 
the  abbreviation  "No."  is  substituted  for  the  number  mark 
(#) ;  "per  cent"  is  spelled  out;  and  a  serviceable  asterisk 
can  be  made  by  striking  a  lowercase  "x"  over  an  "o"  or 
hyphen  at  the  proper  point  above  the  line  of  writing.   The 
acute,  circumflex,  and  grave  accents  and  the  tilde  are 
placed  on  "dead"  keys;  that  is,  keys  which  do  not  space  the 
carriage  when  struck.   On  some  models,  these  accent  marks 
must  be  struck  before  the  character  over  which  they  are 
to  appear  is  struck;  on  others  the  letter  is  struck  first. 
The  model  in  which  the  letter  is  struck  first  and  then  the 
accent  has  been  found  to  be  more  satisfactory.   Special 
typewriters,  with  additional  keys,  are  on  the  market;  for 
general  use  in  the  transcription  of  documents  however,  the 
keyboard  shown  above  is  the  most  satisfactory. 

14.   Page  arrangement.   The  following  suggestions  are 
made  in  regard  to  the  placement  of  material  on  the  page  on 


-118- 


TRAM  SCRIPT  I  ON 


the  assumption  that  transcriptions  will  be  made  on  standard 
8  1/2  "by  11  inches.   A  "balanced  page  of  transcription  should 
have  a  left  margin  one  and  one-half  inches  wide,  and  a  top 
and  bottom  margin  of  the  same  width;  the  right  margin  should 
be  only  one  inch  wide.   Only  twenty-five  double-spaced 
lines  should  be  transcribed  on  a  page.   The  page  number 
should  be  typed  three-fourths  of  an  inch  from  the  top  and 
right  edges  of  the  paper,  and  no  punctuation  should  follow 
it.   Paragraphs  are  indented  five  spaces.   When  it  is  nec- 
essary to  transcribe  a  single-spaced  q_uotation,  the  entire 
quotation  should  be  indented  four  spaces,  and  paragraphs 
should  be  indented  five  additional  spaces;  therefore,  un- 
like double-spaced  transcriptions,  single-spaced  paragraphs 
are  indented  nine  spaces. 

15.   Dictionary  Catalog.   In  cataloguing  proper  names 
taken  from  transcripts  and  translations,  the  entry  should 
be  made  according  to  the  best  Spanish  usage,  which  may  be 
ascertained  by  consulting  any  Spanish  encyclopedia,  dic- 
tionary, or  aother  similar  work.   Spanish  usage  seldom  em- 
ploys the  initial  letter  of  prefixes  in  a  dictionary  cat- 
alog.  All  names  should  be  entered  with  their  correct 
spelling;  names  mispelled  in  the  original,  however,  should 
be  entered  as  given  with  cross-reference  to  the  correct 
spelling.   For  the  convenience  of  readers  not  familiar  with 
Spanish  usage,  entries  should  also  be  made  of  English  ver- 
sions of  Spanish  names  with  cross-references  to  the  correct 
spelling: 

Examples: 

Niliiez  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  Alvaro. 

Cabeza  de  Vaca.      See,   Niinez   Cabeza  de  Vaca. 

De  Vaca.      See,   Nunez  Cabeza  de  Vaca. 

Vaca.      See,   Nunez   Cabeza  de  Vaca. 

Nunez   de  Balboa,   Vasco 

De  Balboa.      See,   Nunez   de  Balboa. 

Balboa.      See,   Nunez   de  Balboa. 

Le6n,    Luis  Ponce   de . 

Ponce   de   Le6n,    Juan. 

Onate ,   Juan  de . 

Le6n  de  la  Barra,  Francisco. 

Salcedo,  Nemesio. 

Salzedo.   See,  Salcedo. 


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HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


16.  Rules  for  transcription.   In  view  of  the  fact  that 
the  number  of  students  engaged  in  historical  research  seems 
to  be  growing  rapidly,  and  since  searchers  sometimes  travel 
from  one  depository  of  documents  or  transcripts  to  another, 
uniform  transcription  of  documents  is  desirable.   Conse- 
quently, certain  rules  have  been  devised  to  achieve  uni- 
formity in  the  transcription  of  original  documents  or  trans- 
lations.  The  rules  given  below  have  been  compiled  from 
various  sources  in  an  attempt  to  list  all  those  that  cover 
the  most  important  points  to  be  observed  in  uniform  trans- 
criptions. 

(l).   Read  the  original  page  through  before  transcribing 
it. 

(2).  Use  a  16-pound  weight  paper,  8  l/2"  x  11". 
(3).   Make  four  carbon  copies  of  every  transcription. 
(4).   Make  an  exact  copy  of  the  document;  place  the 
material  in  the  transcript  in  the  same  position  ias  it 
is  in  the  original. 

(5).  Double-space  all  copy,  except  single-spaced 
quotations. 

(6).   Use  a  top,  left,  and  bottom  margin  one  and  one- 
half  inches  wide;  a  right  margin  one  inch  wide. 
(7).  Place  page  numbers  three  qioarters  of  an  inch 
from  the  top  and  right  edges  of  the  paper. 
(8).   Indicate  the  beginning  of  a  new  page  in  the  doc- 
ument by  placing  two  slant  bars  immediately  before  the 
first  letter  in  the  word  of  the  new  page.   These  two 
bars  are  then  followed  by  the  number  of  the  page  for 
recto,  and  the  number  and  the  letter  "v"  for  verso; 

e.g..  , 

2 
//Montgomery,  Alabama; 
2v 
//regiment  fully  equipped. 

(9).   Spell  every  word  exactly  as  it  is  spelled  out  in 

the  document,  including  the  same  capitalization. 
(10).   Copy  numbers  exactly  as  they  are  written  in  the 
document;  i.e.,  Roman  and  Arabic  numbers  should  be  copied 
exactly  as  used  in  the  original;  if  numbers  are  spelled 
out  in  the  document,  they  should  be  spelled  out  in  the 
transcription:   if  figures  are  used  in  the  original, 
figures  should  be  used  in  the  transcription. 
(11).   Indicate  change  in  handwriting  thus:.  yC.  in  h.) 


-120- 


TRANSCRIPTION 


(12).  Any  additions  to  the  text,  abtreviations  spelled 
out,  material  supplied  from  other  sources,  or  explanations 
of  the  condition  of  the  original,  should  be  enclosed 
in  hrackets. 

(13).   Omissions  should  "be  indicated  whether  they  are 
due  to  mutilation  or  illegihility.  VThenever  possible 
the  number  of  words  or  lines  omitted  should  be  stated. 
Such  indications  may  be  made  thus:  [MS.  torn]  ,   [MS. 
burned],  [MS.  blotted),   [MS.  illegible]  ,  [MS.  torn: 
five  lines,]  ,  [MS.  burned:  two  words  j,,  [Photostat  dim]  : 
when  the  number  of  words  missing  cannot  be  determined, 
this  fact  may  be  indicated  merely  by  placing  three 
spaced  dots  at  the  point  where  the  blank  space  occurs 
if  it  is  within  the  sentence;  i'f  it  is  at  the  end  of 
the  sentence,  four  dots  should  be  used:   e.g., 
"We  arrived  late  and  ...  until  the  next  day." 
"We  arrived  late  and  had  to  wait  until  ...." 
(14).  Any  error  noted  in  the  document,  such  as  the  re- 
petition of  a  word,  or  a  wrong  date,  may  be  followed  by 
the  word  sic  within  brackets. 

(15).  Deleted  words  or  lines  of  documents  should  be 
copied  and  a  hyphen  should  then  be  struck  over  each  let- 
ter. 

(16).   Superscript  letters  and  lines  written  between  the 
lines  in  documents  should  be  transcribed  in  the  same 
manner.  Although  the  copying  of  superscript  letters 
makes  the  work  of  tremscription  more  costly  and  time 
consuming,  for  the  sake  of  accuracy,  it  is  advisable  not 
to  place  superscript  letters  or  interlined  lines  on  the 
line  of  writing. 

(17).   The  presence  of  seals  or  stamps  on  a  document 
should  be  indicated  thus;  [Seal]  ,  [Stamp]  ,  [Wax  Seal), 
and  when  the  inscription  can  be  read,  (Seal:   State  of 
Texas ] . 

(18).   Indent  five  spaces  for  paragraphs.   All  lines 
of  a  single-spaced  quotation  should  be  started  four 
spaces  from  the  left  margin. 

(19).  Whenever  it  is  possible,  the  copyist  should  add 
any  material  deemed  absolutely  necessary  to  facilitate 
reading  a  transcription.   Any  addition,  of  course,  should 
be  placed  within  brackets. 

(20).   Initials  of  identification  should  be  placed  with- 
in brackets  near  the  right  margin  of  the  last  page  of 
each  document.   These  initials  should  identify  the  docu- 
ment as  an  autograph  signed,  a  draft,  a  fragment,  or 


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HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


whatever  it  may  be,  according  to  the  symbols  listed  in 

section  12  of  this  chapter. 

(21).   Addresses  and  endorsements  should  be  preceded 

by  the  words  "Address"  and  "Endorsement"  within 

brackets. 


■122- 


APPENDIX  A 


Translation  and  Transcription.   The  following  photo- 
static copies  of  manuscripts  have  iDeen  sSlected  as  typical 
documents  of  the  sixteenth,  seventeenth,  eighteenth,  and 
nineteenth  centuries  in  regard  to  su'bject  matter.   The 
first  sixteenth  century  document  presented  is  an  interroga- 
tory according  to  which  any  witnesses  presented  "by  Viceroy 
Don  Antonio  de  Mendoza  were  to  "be  questioned  in  the  course 
of  the  visita  held  in  1543.   The  second  sixteenth  century- 
document  is  a  commission  issued  by  Fray  Alonso  de  Mont- 
ufar  to  Alonso  Fernandez  de  Segura,  appointing  him  inspec- 
tor general  of  Mexico  and  adjoining  ecclesiastical  juris- 
diction.  This  commission  was  issued  at  Mexico  City  on 
April  2,  1569.   These  photostatic  copies  were  made  from  the 
originals  fdled  in  The  Latin-Americar  Collections  of  The 
University  of  Texas. 

From  the  same  depository,  two  sample  documents  were 
taken  for  the  seventeenth  century.   One  of  these  is  a 
royal  order  hy  which  the  king  instructs  Francisco  Ramirez 
Briceno,  governor  and  captain-general  of  the  province  of 
Yucatan,  or  whoever  might  be  in  command,  to  provide  supplies 
for  the  Jesuit  establishment  in  M^rida.   The  other  document 
is  a  religious  oath  talcen  by  a  friar,  on  June  11,  1653. 

Copies  of  two  documents  for  the  eighteenth  century  were 
taken  from  the  Spanish  Archives  of  Texas,  of  The  University 
of  Texas.   One  is  a  letter  written  on  October  2,  1760,  by 
Phelipe  de  Mbago  to  the  ayuntamiento  of  San  Antonio  in 
which  he  offers  his  services  as  the  new  commander  at  San 
Saba.   The  other  document  is  a  petition  drawn  up  by  several 
members  of  the  royal  presidio  of  San  Agustin,  in  which  they 
request  their  annual  allotment  of  gunpowder;  it  is  dated 
January  2,  1762. 

Only  one  document  was  selected  for  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury.  This  docToment  is  a  letter  signed  by  Stephen  F. 
Austin  at  San  Felipe  de  Austin  on  August  28,  1826.   In 
this  letter  Austin  states  that  he  has  taken  depositions  of 
certain  witnesses  concerning  Peter  Ellis  Bean.   The  letter 
was  also  taken  from  the  Spanish  Archives  of  Texps. 

These  photostatic  copies  have  been  presented  here  as 
samples  of  the  application  of  the  principles  and  rules  set 
down  in  the  foregoing  pages.   After  the  doc\ament  was  care- 
fully read,  a  transcription  was  made,  and  is  presented 
immediately  following  the  document.   A  translation  of  the 

transcription  is  then  e:iven. 

-123- 


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i 


i 


APPENDIX  A 

[  THANSCRIPTION  ] 
do 
Mexico:   Vissita  del  Liz.   Sandoval.   Principio  de  una  de 

n     0 
las  Provanzas  de  dos  cargos  del  Virrey  d.  Ant.  de  Mendoza: 

1543. 

CO  or 
H^xy   mag.   S. 

J.  G.  I. 

A  los  testigos  que  son  6  fueren  presentados  por  parte  De  Don 

t 
antonio  De  mendoja  visorrey  y  gouernador  por  su  mag.   Desta 

nueua  espaiia  presidents  Del  audienjia  rreal  que   en  ella 

rreside  sotre  los  cargos  De  la  visita  que  le  fueron  puestos 

y  so"bre  todo  lo  de  mas  contenido  en  el  projeso  De  la  dha 

visita  se  pregunten  por  las  preguntas  deste  ynterrogatorio 

/• 

Primeramente  sean  preguntados  si  conocen  al  dho.  Don  anto- 

or 
nio  de  mendoja  por  visorrey  y  gou.   desta  nueua  espana  y 

por  presidents  del  audienjia  rreal  que  en  ella  rreside.  y 
do     CO 
si  conojen  al  lie.   fran.   tello  de  sandoual  del  consejo 

t  a 

De  yndias  de  su  mag  y  visitador  de  la  dha  rreal  audi 

desta  nueua  espana  y  de  que  tienpo  a  esta  parte/. 


Yten  si  sa"ben  que  como  el  dho  Visorrey  llego  al  puerto  de 

a 
san  juan  de  lua  dio  vara  de  just  a  martin  de 

peralta  para  que  solamente  entre  la  jente  q  con 

el  dho  visorrey  venia  tuuiese  cuydado  especial 


po.  cargo 

q  entre  ella  no  vuiese  desasosiego  ni  alteragion 

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por  que  era  mucha  y  los  mas  dellos  mangebos  y  caualleros  y 

o 
por  que  avian  de  pasar  por  pu  s  de  yndios  para  que  no 

rrecibiesen  de  la  dha  jente  malos  tratamientos  y  para  solo 

este  efeto  le  dio  la  dha  vara  al  dho  martin  de  peralta  y 

asi  lo  diran  los  testigos  por  q  lo  vieron  y  saben  q  pasa 

do 
asi  lo  g  en  esta  pregunta/. 

Yten  si  saben  que  con  aver  proueydo  el  dho  visorrey  de 

la  dha  vara  para  el  efeto  dho  en  la  preg^onta 

CO 

antes  desta  vuo  entre  don  fran  fajardo  y  don 
tristan  de  arellano  q  venian  con  el  dho  visorrey 
desde  espana  ciertas  palahras  de  enojo  De  q.  rre- 
sulto  algun  alboroto  de  anbas  partes  por  q  vn  aguirre 

CO 

criado  del  dho  Don  tristan  auia  dado  al  dho  don  fran 
vna  bofetada  en  la  dha  diferencia  y  sabido  por  el  dho 

CO 

visorrey  e  ynformado  como  el  delito  fue  pu  le  mando  cas- 
tigar  luego  en  la  benta  donde  estaua  aposentado  q  se  dize 

CO 

de  caceres  cinco  jornadas  de  la  ciudad  de  mex  digan  los 

0 

ts  .  lo  que  saben. 

jRubrica  y 


J  G  I 

T  X  U  [D.] 


-126- 


APPENDIX  A 


jTEANSIATIONj 

Mexico  City 

Visitation  of  Licentiate  Sandoval.  Beginning  of  the  inves- 
tigation of  one  of  the  two  charges  by  Don  Antonio  de  Mendo- 
za,  the  viceroy.   1543. 

Most  Magnificent  Sir: 

The  witnesses  who  are  or  shall  "be  presented  on  behalf 
of  Don  Antonio  de  Mendoga,  Viceroy  and  Governor  for  His  Maj- 
esty in  New  Spain  [ and j  President  of  the  Royal  Audiencia  re- 
siding therein,  shall  be  asked  the  questions  in  this  inter- 
rogatory concerning  the  charges  filed  against  him  after 
the  yisitation,  and  regarding  everything  else  contained  in 
the  judicial  report  of  the  aforesaid  visitation.   First,  they 
shall  be  asked  whether  they  recognize  the  said  Don  Antonio 
de  Mendoja  as  viceroy  and  governor  of  this 
New  Spain  and  as  president  of  the  Royal  Au- 
diencia residing  therein,  and  whether  they  recognize  the  li- 
centiate Francisco  Tello  de  Sandoual  jas  member]  of  His  Maj- 
esty's Council  of  the  Indies  and  Visitador  of  the  said  Royal 
Audiencia  of  this  New  Spain,  and  approximately  how  long  [they 
have  done  soj .   Likewise,  whether  they  know  that  when  the 
said  viceroy  arrived  at  the  port  of  San  Juan  de  Lua  ^ San  Ju- 
an de  Ulua  j  ,  he  gave  the  staff  of  authority 
to  Martin  de  Peralta  in  order  that  he  might 
First    exercise  special  care  solely  with  regard  to 

^  the  people  who  were  accompanying  the  said  vice- 

roy so  that  there  might  not  be  any  "unrest  or  commotion  among 
them,  since  they  were  many,  most  of  them  men  and  boys,  and, 
since  they  had  to  pass  through  Indian  pueblos,  in  order  that 
the  [Indians]  might  not  receive  harsh  treatment  from  the 
aforesaid  people.   For  this  sole  purpose  he  gave  the  said 
staff  to  the  said  Martin  de  Peralta,  as  will  testify  the 
witnesses  who  saw  it  [all]  and  know  it  happened  as  stated  in 
this  question. 

And  also  whether  they  know  that  after  the  said  viceroy 
had  handed  the  said  staff  over  for  the  purpose  stated  in  the 
preceding  question,  certain  angry  words  were 
exchanged  between  Don  Francisco  Fajardo  and 
Don  Tristan  de  Arellano,  who  were  accompanying 
the  said  viceroy  from  Spain,  resulting  in  a 
certain  amount  of  disturbance  on  both  sides,  because  one 
Aguirre,  a  servant  of  the  said  Don  Tristan,  struck  the  said 
Don  Francisco  during  the  said  disagreement.   When  the  said 


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viceroy  learned  a"bout  it,  and  having  been  informed  that 
the  offence  was  committed  in  public,  he  ordered  him  pvin- 
ished  at  the  inn  where  he  had  taken  lodging,  which  is 
called  "de  C§Lceres,"  five  days'  journey  ^  jornadas. ,  from 
Mexico  City.   Let  the  witnesses  testify  what  they  know. 

( Rubric ] 

Joaquin  Garcia  Icazbalceta  Collection 

The  University  of  Texas  Library 


■128- 


^ 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


TRMSCRIPTION 


Provision  De  visitador 

Nos  don  fray  alonso  de  montufar  For  la  miseragion  diuina 
argolDpo  de  mexico  y  del  cojisejo  de  su  mag  &.   Acatando  la 
sufijiengia  y  buena  congiengia  de  Vos  El  bachiller  alonso 
fernandez  De  sigura  nro  prouisor  de  los  yndios  que  "bien 
fiel  y  diligentsunente  hareis  y  Exerciereis  lo  que  por  nos 
vos  fuere  cometido  y  encargado  y  confiando  en  el  senor  es 
nra  mrd  y  voluntad  de  os  nombrar  y  por  la  presente  os  nom- 
bramos  por  nro  Juez  visitador  general  en  todo  este  nro  arg- 
obispado  de  mexico  y  sus  anexos.   Para  que  en  el  podais 
uisitar  E  visiteis  todas  las  giudades  villa  pueblos,  minas 
estancias  y  lugares  en  ello  y  en  cada  uno  dellos  conosger 
y  conozcais  de  todos  los  negocios  causas  y  cosas  ansi  de 
clerigos  como  de  legos  que  se  ofreciere  ansi  de  oficio  como 
entre  partes  y  los  ofrecidos  los  tomar  en  el  estado  en  que 
estan.  y  de  los  demas  que  se  ubieren  de  tratar  y  trataren 
en  todo  el  dho  nro  argobpdo.  en  visita  y  del  estado  de  las 
yglesias  E  hospitales.  y  de  todos  los  otros  lugares  dedica- 
dos  al  culto  diuino.  y  para  cue  podais  hazer  y  hagais  ynfor- 
magion  E  inf ormagiones  ansi  contra,  personas  Ecclesiasticas 
como  legas  Espanoles  E  yndios  de  qualesquier  estado  y  condi- 
gion  que  sean  ansi  por  denungiagiones  querellas  como  de 
officio  y  de  otra  qualquier  manera  que  sea  contra  amanceba- 
dos  blasfemos  logreros  perjures  hechizeros  alcahuetes  ynces- 
tuosos  y  casados  dos  uezes  como  contra  todos  los  demas  que 
yncurrieren  en  qualquiera  de  los  casos  y  cosas  que  Pertene- 
gen  a  la  Jurisdigion  Ecclesiastica  y  hechas  primero.  las 
ynf ormagiones  prendereis  los  cuerpos  a  los  culpados.  y 
siendo  necesario  pa.  ello  podais  pedir  y  demandar  el  auxilio 
de  la  Real  Justicia  y   para  que  en  todos  los  pleitos  y  causas 
que  ante  vos  se  trataren  y  pendieren  podais  oyr  E  oygais 
de  Justigia  a  las  partes.   Eoydas  las  podais  de  terminar 
dando  y  pron^ongiando  en  ellas  y  Sn  cada  una  dellas  la  sent- 
engia  o  sentengias  que  os  paresciere.  y  por  derecho  hall- 
p.rdes  que  conuiene  guardando.  en  todo  Justigia  a  las  partes, 
y  para  que  podais  dicernir  E  digernais  vras.  cartas  y  cen- 
suras  sobre  qualesquier  cosas  y  casos  que  se  ofrecieren 
y  necesario  fuere  de  se  discernir  las  quales  sean  obedegidas 
cunplidas  y  Executadas  como  cartas  y  censuras  de  tal  nro. 
Juez  E  visitador  general  y  para  que  podais  conosger  de  todos 
los  negogios  y  causas  que  por  qualquier  via.  y  manera  se 


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APPENDIX  A 


ofregieren  hasta  los  concluir  diff initiuamente .  (y  en  los 
negocios  que   se  ofresgieren  tocantes  al  pancto  officio 
hazer  la  ynformacion  E  ynf ormagiones  que  conuenga.  y  hechas 
Remitir  nos  las  gerradas  y  selladas.)  y  para  todo  lo  demas 
que  dicho  es  cada  cosa  y  parte  dello  os  damos  nro.  poder 
cumplido  con  todas  sus  yngidenjias  y  de  Pendengias  anex- 
idades  segun  y  como  de  derecho  en  tal  caso  se  Requiere  y 
p^.  que  podais  en  la  dicha  visita  criar  y  lleuar  convos 
vn  alguazil  fiscal  notario  E  ynterprete  con  que  en  su  non- 
bramy:   guardeis  la  forma  segun  y  como  de  derecho  en  tal 
caso  se  Requiere  y  por  el  trabajo  que  en  lo  suso  dh9  aveis 
de  tener  vos  y  vros  offigiales  mahdamos  que  a  costa  de  cul- 
pados  y  gastos.  de  justigia  de  mas  de  los  derechos  que  por 
aranzel  se  deuiere.  ayais  y  lleueis  de  salario  en  cada  un 
dia  de  los  que  en  la  visita  os  ocuparedes.  dos  pesos  de  mi- 
nas  y  El  notario  un  peso  de  minas.  y  El  fiscal  un  peso  de 
tipuzque  y  El  interprete  un  peso  de  tipuzque.  en  fe  de  lo 
qual  OS  mandamos  dar  E  dimos  la  presente  prouision  firm- 
ada  de  nro  nombre  y  sellada  con  nro  sello  y  Refrendada  de 
nro  seCretario  la  qual  mandamos  que  ualga  por  el  tiempo 
que  fuere  nra  voluntad.  dada  En  m^xico  a  dos  dias  del  mes 
de  abril  de  mill  E  quinientos  y  sesenta  y  nueue  anos/. 

Fr.  A.  archopo. 

Mex.    Conqt. 
do  a     ma 

Por  m   .    de   Su  S.   E    . 

D.    diego  maldonado 

0 

Su  Secret.  [Rubricaj 

iD.S., 


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[  TRANSITION  ] 

Inspector's  Commission. 

We,  Eon  Fray  Alonso  de  Montufar,  by  divine  mercy  Arch- 
bishop of  Mexico,  and  [memberj  of  the  coiincil  of  His  Maj- 
esty, etc. ,  holding  in  high  esteem  your  loyalty  and  good 
character,  Bachiller  Alonso  Fernandez  de  Sigura,  our  Vicar 
General  of  the  Indies  ^ prouisor  de  los  yndios  ,  ,  [believ- 
ing that]  you  will  faithfully  and  diligently  carry  out  and 
execute  whatever  we  should  commit  and  entrust  unto  you, 
[and]  confiding  in  the  Lord,  it  is  our  will  and  pleasure  to 
appoint  you,  and  by  this  writ  we  do  appoint  you,  as  our 
Judge  inspector  general  [  Juez  visitador  general  j  for  all  of 
our  bishopric  of  Mexico  and  bishoprics  adjoining  thereto. 
Therein  you  may  visit,  and  you  shall  visit,  all  the 
cities,  villas .  towns,  mines,  ranches  [ estancias  .  ,  and 
villages,  and  in  each  of  them  you  may  investigate,  and 
you  shall  investigate,  all  matters,  causes,  and  things  con- 
cerning both  clergymen  and  laymen,  both  officially  and 
as  between  private  parties;  and  those  that  have  already- 
been  filed,  you  will  accept  in  the  condition  in  which  you 
may  find  them;  [you  shall]  also  [investigate]  others  that 
should  be  considered,  and  that  may  be  considered,  in  all 
our  aforesaid  bishopric  in  a  visitation;  and  j you  shall  ex- 
amine] the  condition  of  churches  and  hospitals  and  all  other 
places  dedicated  to  divine  worship.   You  are  hereby  empow- 
ered to  file,  and  you  shall  file,  a  charge  or  charges 
against  all  persons,  religious  as  well  as  lay,  Spanish  or 
Indian,  of  whatever  rank  and  condition,  who  are  fornicators, 
blasphemers,  usurers,  perjurers,  witches,  procurers,  prac- 
tisers  of  incest ,  bigamists ,  as  well  as  against  all  other 
persons  who  may  fall  into  any  of  the  cases  or  things  that 
pertain  to  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  whether  [Such 
charges]  arise  from  denunciations,  complaints,  or  from 
official  or  any  other  source  whatsoever.  After  charges 
have  been  filed,  you  shall  seize  the  persons  of  the  accused 
parties;  and,  if  it  should  be  necessary,  you  are  empowered 
to  ask  for  and  demand  the  aid  of  the  royal  police  in  order 
that,  in  all  lawsuits  and  cases  that  may  be  pleaded  and 
tried  before  you,  you  may  hear,  and  you  shall  hear,  the 
parties  as  a  Judge.   Once  they  are  given  a  hearing,  you  may 
adjudge  them,  pronouncing  upon  each  and  every  one  of  them 
whatever  sentence  or  sentences  you  may  deem  advisable  and 
which  you  may  find  agreeable  according  to  law  dealing  Just- 

-132- 


APPENDIX  A 


ice  to  all  parties  concerned.   [You  are  further  empowered) 
to  adjudge,  and  you  shall  adjudge,  your  letters  and  censures 
on  any  matters  or  cases  that  may  come  up  and  which  it  may 
be  necessary  to  adjudge;  they  shall  be  obeyed,  fulfilled, 
and  executed  as  letters  and  censures  of  our  judge  and  Inspec- 
tor G-eneral.   [You  are  empowered]  to  investigate  any  matters 
or  causes  that  may  be  presented  through  any  channel  or  in 
any  manner  whatsoever  until  they  have  been  definitely  con- 
cluded.  (In  matters  that  may  come  up  concerning  the  Inquis- 
ition [Santo  officiO]^  you  shall  file  any  charge  or  charges 
deemed  advisable;  after  they  are  filed,  you  shall  forward 
them  to  us  closed  and  sealed.)   In  everything  else  stated 
above,  in  each  item  and  portion  thereof,  we  do  hereby 
grant  you  full  power,  together  with  all  those  ^ powers j  de- 
pendent, incident,  and  annexed  thereto,  according  to  and  as 
required  by  law  in  such  cases.   [We  further  e;npower  you  ]  to 
appoint  and  take  with  you  on  the  aforesaid  vi'sitation  one 
alguacil,  one  fiscal,  one  notary,  and  one  interpreter  pro- 
vided that,  in  their  appointment,  you  observe  the  form  re- 
quired by  law  in  such  cases.   For  the  work  that  you  and 
your  officials  must  perform,  as  stated  above,  we  hereby 
order  that,  out  of  court  costs  and  proceeds  derived  from 
judgments  in  addition  to  any  standard  rates,  you  shall 
earn  and  receive  a  salary  of  two  pesos  de  minas  for  each 
day  you  may  be  engaged  in  this  visitation;  the  notary 
(Shall  receive]  one  peso  de  mina;  the  fiscal,  one  peso  de 
tipuzque ;  and  the  interpreter,  one  peso  de  tipuzque.   In 
witness  whereof  we  hereby  order  given  you,  and  we  do  give 
you,  the  present  commission,  signed  with  our  names  and 
sealed  with  our  seal,  and  countersigned  by  our  secretary, 
which  commission  we  hereby  decree  to  be  valid  for  such  time 
as  it  shall  be  our  will.   Given  in  Mexico  City  on  the  second 
day  of  the  month  of  April,  fifteen  hiindred  and  sixty-nine. 


-133- 


ttrJiitJe   /eJ^'^.^l>'--^'->Ueapr' 


^ulhduuHt  y'^^t'^utu^,ano-/a'Jitai-   VttMilUicat^r^.  e^jMa-Ja/^l^' ctxcumATa^cl^j'  /o  ^'"'^ 


^O 


"^^ 

^^<{^\ 


^Cyr/iS'/^mcj 


titins.Jrf  ^yu 

C0U3  y.a^oyn^i).>.ii  JO. 


s4 


APPENDIX  A 

(  TEANSCRIPTION] 

EL  EEY 
CO  1 

Fran  Ramirez  "brigeno  mi  Gobernador  y  Capitan  Or  de  la 

prouinzia  de  yucatan  o  a  la  Persona  a  cuyo  cargo  fuere  su 

govierno  francisco  de  figueroa  de  la  compania  de  Jesus  pro- 

1 
curador  G-r  de  las  yndias  me  a  hecho  Relagion  que  la  dha 

Compania  a  fundado  casa  en  la  jiudad  Demerida  de  esa  pro- 

uinjia  poco  tiempo  ha  y  Respecto  de  su  necesidad  no  tiene 

e 
yglesiani  con  q  sustentarse  los  Religiosos  que  ay  en  Ella 

ni  probeerse  demuchas  cossas  negessarias  al  seruicio  del 

e 
culto  diuino  ni  con  q  Comprarbino  y  aceyte  para  gelebrar 

y  alumbrar  El  santissimo  sacramento  y  que  la  haziendaquedejo 

vnvegino  para  la  dha  fundacion  Rentamilly  tregientos  pesos 

one 
supp    atento  a  ello  (se  hiciese  limosna  del  dicho  bino  y 

e 
aceyte  enlaforma  q  sea  mandado  dar  a  otras  Religiones  y 

hauiendose  Visto  por  los  demi  consejo  Real  de  las  yndias 

e 
fue  acordado  q  debia  mandar  darestami  gedula  por  la  qual 

e  e 

OS  mando  q  con  ynterbenjion  de  los  offigiales  de  mi  R 

Hazienda  de  esa  prouinzia  hagays  Ynformagion  de  la  pobrega 

de  la  dha  cassa  de  la  conpania  deJesus  de  la  dha  ciudad  y 

e 
si  es  tan  grande  q  si  no  se  le  socorre  con  El  dho  bino  y 

aceyte  cesara  El  culto  diuino  Y  si  fuere  desta  calidad  y 

e 
concurrieren  en  Ella  las  dhas  gircumstangias  lo  q  Para 

-135- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 


probeerle  dello  os  constare  por  gertif igacion  de  los  dhos 

s 
mis  officiales  R  que  es  negesario)  conforme  lo  que  se  acos- 

tumbra  lo  situeys  de  pinsion  enbacantes  de  encomiendas  deyn- 

dios  Y  hareis  que  se  acuda  con  Ello  al  superior  de  la  dha 

e 
cassa  0  a  quien  tubiere  su  poder  para  q  en  el  seruigio  del 

culto  diuino  no  ay  afalta  y  mi  hazienda  quede  rrelebada 

on 
desta  carga  y  obliga   fecha  en  madrid  a  veynte  demarjo  de- 

os 
mill  y  seys   y  veynte  anos. 

YO  EL  EEY 

I  Riibrica  ] 

do 
Por"  man   del  Rey  nro  senor 

Pedro  de  ledesma 

( Rilbrica) 

(  Rubrica  j 

e 

Al  Gobernador  de  joicatan  sobre  la  aberiguagion  q  se  a  de 

hager  gerca  de  la  nejesidad  de  la  cassa  de  la  compania  de 

Jesus  de  aquella  prouinzia  Y  si  fuere  tal  le  situe  en  bacan- 

os     e 
tes  de  yn   lo  q  fuere  menester  para  Vino  Y  aceyte  para 

celebrar  y  alumbrar  el  santissimo  sacramento 

da 
corr 

GAHCIA 

T  X  U 

,D.  S., 


-136- 


APPENDIX  A 

I  TRANSLATION  j 


[To]  Francisco  Ramirez  Brigeno,  my  Governor  and  Captain 
General  of  the  Province  of  Yucatan,  or  to  the  person  in 
whose  charge  the  government  may  be: 

Francisco  de  Figueroa,  of  the  Jesuit  Company,  Attorney 
General  for  the  Indies,  has  reported  to  me  that  the  afore- 
said company  has  recently  established  a  house  in  the  city 
of  Merida  in  that  province,  and  that,  because  of  the  poverty 
[Of  this  house  J  it  has  neither  a  church  nor  the  means  for 
the  sustenance  of  the  religious  stationed  there,  nor  [the 
meanS]  to  provide  itself  with  many  things  necessary  to  de- 
vine  worship;  nor  [does  it  havej  the  means  for  purchasing 
wine  and  oil  for  the  celebration  and  illumination  of  the 
holy  sacrament;  and  jhe  stated  further]  that  the  f\iiids  left 
by  a  settler  for  the  aforesaid  establishment,  an  [annual] 
income  of  one  thousand  three  hundred  pesos,  presupposes, 
in  view  thereof,  that  the  aforesaid  wine  and  oil  should  be 
donated  in  the  manner  in  which  they  have  been  ordered  do- 
nated to  other  religious  orders.   After  this  [report j  was 
examined  by  the  members  of  the  Royal  Council  of  the  Indies, 
it  was  agreed  that  I  should  cause  this  cedula  to  be  issued 
whereby  I  do  command  you  with  the  aid  of  the  officers  of 
my  royal  treasury  in  that  province  to  make  an  investigation 
of  the  poverty  of  the  aforesaid  house  of  the  Jesuit  Company. 
If  it  should  be  so  great  that  failure' to  furnish  it  with 
the  said  wine  ajid  oil  would  cause  divine  worship  to  cease — 
if  it  should  be  so  great  and  the  said  circumstances  should 
prevail  therein — such  (Conditions]  will  be  considered  suf- 
ficient for  you  to  provide  them  therewith,  through  a  certif- 
icate given  by  my  said  royal  officials,  which  is  necessary 
according  to  custom;  you  shall  draw  this  jaid]  as  a  pension 
from  a  vacancy  in  Indian  encomiendas. .  You  shall  cause  this 
aid  to  be  given  to  the  superior  of  the  said  house  or  to 
whomsoever  should  have  charge  of  it  in  order  that  there  may 
be  nothing  lacking  for  divine  worship,  and  in  order  that 
my  royal  treasury  may  be  relieved  of  this  charge  and  obli- 
gation. 

Dated  at  Madrid,  on  the  twentieth  day  of  March,  in  the 
year  sixteen  hundred  and  twenty. 

I  the  King 


-137- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

( Rubric  ] 

Duplicate  By  order  of  the  King  Our  Lord 

Pedro  de  Ledesma 

I  Rubric  ] 

I  Rubric ] 

To  the  governor  of  Yucatan  concerning  the  investigation 
which  is  to  be  made  concerning  the  needs  of  a  house  be- 
longing to  the  Jesuit  Company  of  that  province,  and  if  it 
should  be  in  need,  he  is  to  charge  whatever  may  be  neces- 
sary for  wine  and  oil  to  celebrate  and  illuminate  the  holy 
sacrament  to  (the  fund  arising  from]  vacancies  in  Indian 
r-encomiendasi . 


-138- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

I  TRANSCRIPTION  j 

YN  NOMINE  DOMINI  NOSTRI 

JESUCRISTI  BENEDICTI  AMEN 

[Varios  dibujos  religiosos  j 

Yo  fr.  Joan  De  Los  Rfos  hijo  legitime  de  el  Doctor  Joan  De 

ca 
Los  Rios  difunto,  y  de  Dona  fran   De  Bargas  Su  Legftima 

CO 

muger  Vezinos  de  Mex.   hago  profession  y  prometo  obedien- 

r  a 

cia  a  Dios  nro.  s.  y  a  la  gloriossa  Virgen  Marfa  nra.  s.  y  a 

e        n  do  e   0 

nro.  Gloriosso  P.  S.  Avg.   y  a  vos  el  R  .  P.  M.  fr.  Miguel 

to         e        n       CO 
de  Leon  Prior  de  este  conv.   de  n7o.  P.  S.  Avg.   de  Mex. 

en  esta  Provinzia  del  santissimo  nombre  de  Jhs.  de  la  nueva 

mo   e   0 
Espana,  en  nombre  y  Vez  de  el  R.  P.  M.   fr.  Phelipe  Vis- 

al  en 

conti  Prior  gen.    de  los  hermitanos  de  nro.  P.   S.  Avg. 

y  de  sus  Canonicos  subcessores,  y  de  Viuir  Sin  proprio  y  en 

e       n 
castidad  hasta  la  muerte  segun  la  regla  de  nro.  P.   S.  Avg. 

que  es  fecha  en  onze  d£as  de  el  mes  de  Junio  de 
Murio. 

mill  y  seisjientos  y  Cinquenta  y  tres  aHos 

0 

fr.   Ju.    de   los  Rios 
(  Rilbrica  ] 
fr.   Miguel  de   leon  Prior 
[  Rubrica  j 

0 

Fray  Ju.    de  Ajite  mi — 

0 

espinosa  m.  fr.  Feliciano  de  la  fuente 

-140- 


APPENDIX  A 

0  CO 

de  nouicios  [Rubricaj  Hos.    App.      (Rubricaj 

GARCIA 

T  X  U  (D.    S.] 


-141- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

I  TRANSLATION  J 

IN  THE  NAME  OF  OUR  BLESSED 

LORD  JESUS  CHRIST  AMEN 

[Various  religious  sketches] 

I,  Fray  Joan  De  Los  Rfos,  lawful  son  of  Doctor  Joan  de  Los 
Rfos,  deceased,  and  Dona  Francisca  De  Bargas,  his  lawful 
wife,  residents  of  Mexico,  do  hereby  make  [my]  profession 
and  promise  obedience  to  God,  Our  Lord,  and  to  the  glorious 
Virgin  Mary,  Our  Lady,  and  to  our  glorious  Father  Saint 
Augustln,  and  to  thee.  Reverend  Father  Master  Fray  Fhelixie 
Visconti,  Prior  General  of  the  hermits  of  Our  Father  Saint 
Augustfn,  and  to  his  canonical  successors,  to  live  without 
worldly  goods  and  in  chastity  until  death,  according  to  the 
rule  of  Our  Father  Saint  Augustin.   Done  on  the  eleventh 

day  of  the  month  of  June ,  one  thousand 
^®  ^^®^        six  hundred  and  fifty- three. 

Fray  Juan  de  los  Rios 

J  Rubric ] 

Fray  Miguel  de   leon.  Prior 

[•Rubric  ] 

Fray  Juan  de  Before  me: 

espinosa.  Master  Fray  Feliciano  de  la  fuente. 

of  Novices   j Rubric ]      Apostolic  Hospitaler   ( Rubric ] 

GARCIA  Collection 

The  University  of  Texas  Library 

,D.  S., 


-142- 


""*■'  ■.'•;■  i '  ^' .•■•  -«*".'';'^'' 


<:  » 


V. 


1/ 


f\ 


■•".V 


(^'^ 


(P. 


//■T  ^*    (/A^t*rc 


7 


tti . 


...X. 


/        /.I 


,/ 


■/.■? 


HANDBOOK   FOR  TRAHSLATORS  OF   SPAKISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

[  TRANSCRIPTION  J 

or 

Mu.i  S   rrJo:  Participo  a  V.S.  Auer  venido  restituido,  al 

te 
erapleo  de  capitan  y  comm   deesste  Presidio,  del  que  tom^ 

Posecion  el  dia  de  Ayer,  lo  que  pongo  en  su  inteligencia, 

ofreciendo  aladissposicion  de  V.S.  mi  perssona,  y  facultades 

del  empleo  desseando  orns  de  su  agrado  en  que  executar 

e 
el  buen  afecto  q  les  professo  y  enel  interin  lo  conssigo 

e 
desseo  a  V.S.  lamas  perfecta  Salud  y  q  en  su  continuacion 

e  s       s       e 

Nro  Senor  g.   la  vida  de  V.S.  los  m  y  feliz  ,  aiios  q 

n  e 

puede  y  le  desseo  S   Sabas  Oct.   2,  de  1760. 

or 
BlaM  de  V.S.  su  m    Serv. 

Phelipe  de  Rabago 

f Rdbrica] 
e  a        to 

M.Yll.    Cauildo  Jusst.   y  Rexim.  [L.S.j 


■144- 


APPENDIX  A 

[THMSIATION] 

My  dear  Sir: 

I  hereby  inform  Your  Lordship  that  I  have  been  restored 
to  the  position  of  captain  and  commandant  of  this  pres- 
idio, of  which  I  took  possession  yesterday.   I  am  report- 
ing this  fact  to  Your  Lordship  in  order  to  place  myself 
and  the  faculties  of  my  office  at  your  disposal,  and  hoping 
to  receive  any  orders  from  jYour  Lordship j  by  which  I  may 
exercise  the  good  will  I  bear  towards  fYour  Lordship.j. 
In  the  meantime,  I  wish  Your  Lordship  the  most  perfect 
health  and  that,  in  view  thereof.  Our  Lord  may  guard  the 
life  of  Your  Lordship  the  many  happy  years  He  can,  as  I 
wish. 

San  Sabas,  October  2,  1760. 

The  least  of  your  servants  kisses  [the]  hand  of  Your 
Lordship. 

Phelipe  de  Rabago 

( Rubric  j 

Right  Honorable  Municipal  Corporation. 

(L.S.] 


-145- 


>1 


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Ojx.  ,0\XAjSZobou.  ?enc£/z,S(/rr^y-i.  JtL'i'i-o^err^,  *U<<^riCLtLyjtio.Cx*MZ,^Or^ 
CO  yjCJ^/^coi/~io. ,  SjCicxTMuiJi  yJca-UiKT to.  ^i^  jcjCanuoL  CcXfi.Lo<f  &%>cx/*^^cLe.yAAa/n 


ajTcc  r-^ccciaJ'  CLCa.cu>-  .>-t<:uc:<3--< 


tnu&puji.  ^JCt-LUuT  rUx^ciOU^ocuxcujLo  q^ioCfU^'ZU<xrt^-  d^0^y,u^Ma,'3'fMJy 

(Lttick  loWox£xjerr^uo  rve^r  a   ^>^«'»xo  x>c<v  iAXi^m.^.  h.&£,k<xS  CyxSnuy^  cxx^ 
t/>vtc*rvcrv/  (>)^<la<  »^cu.<yx.  exeuc-Jct^  cC^i^J^x^-  (Jruuxoco^  •  9  '>^^»-^o9« 


^; 


^     (^ 


•'J-c.»/?'» '^'«-  -»; 


APPENDIX  A 


(  TEANSCRIPTION  ] 

n    0 
D  Dom  del  Rio:   Christobal  de  Cordova,  Ygnacio  del  Razo 

n 
Lucas  f lores  Juaq.   del  Rio,  Mathias  del  Rio  Manuel  f lores, 

Z  CO 

Marcos  hern.   Miguel  Ramos  fran.    ramos,  J\ian  Jph  Q,uiros 

n  0 

y  baldes  Joaq.   Venites,  Manuel  delgado  Juan  Ant.   floras, 

n 
Jph  Joaq.   de  estrada,  Christobal  Perez,  Simon  de  Aragon, 

0 

Manuel  de  la  Cruz,  Dom  diego  de  Acosta,  Manuel  de  acosta 

1 
Jph  de  Lara  Carlos  grande ,  Man.   Mendes  Jph  Ponziano  trejo 

CO  CO     0  n 

Fran   Losoia  Fran.   Ant.   Guerrero,  Jph  Candido  de  S 

1 
Miguel,  Manuel  de  alcal4,  Man.   de  Villa  franca,  Juan  de 

Aranbula,  Juan  Jph  de  Cordova,  todos  ofiziales  y   soldados 

0 

de  la  dotasion  de  este  Real  Pres.   puestos  con  el  deuido 
to   r  a 

acatam.   p.   medio  de  este  memorial  a  los  pies  de  Vex. 

e        d    e   s 
dezimos  q.   su  Mag.  (q.   D.   G-ue)  tiene  asignadas  acada 

a   a 
indibiduo  de  esta  Comp.   p.   sus  necesarios  seis  libras  de 

r  e 

polbora  p.   ano :   y  auiendo  en  el  q.   acaba  de  espirar  de- 

on      e  e 

bengado  estaguarniz.    la  q.   le  Corresponde  q.   son  sien- 

to 
to  y   ochenta  y   seis  libras  suplicamos  con  el  maior  rendim. 

a 
aVexc.   se  digne  en  su  bista  mandar  librar  la  necesaria  pro- 

e 
bidencia  a  fin  de  q.   se  entregue  de  ellas  ntro  apoderado 

e         n     1  0  0 

q.   lo  es  d.   Man.   de  Cozuela  Vez.   y  del  comers,   de  esa 

a   e  on       r   n     1 

ciudad;  p.   q.   teniendolas  ala  dispocis.   del  S.   d.   Ang. 

or        n 
de  Martos  y  Navarrete  ntfo  Gov.    y  Capp.   Grfil  surtan  efec- 

-147- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

e 
to  las  prevensiones  q.   su  seSoria  le  tiene  hechas  en  Irn 

e  0 

aq.   internen  con  la  maior  brevedad  a  este  Pres.   en  la 

on   e 
ocas.    q.   mas  oportuna  se  proporcionare 

r  a 

Nt7o  S.   prospere  la  Ymportante  Vida  de  Vex.   en  su 
za         s   s  s   1      0 

maior  grand.    dilatad.   a.   como  le  pedim.   R.   Pres.   de 

n    n       0 
S.  Ag.   y  hen.   2  de  1762. 

domino   del   rio     [R-dbricaj 

Christoval  de   Cordova 

(  Rubrica] 

CO 

Fran   Antonio  Gerero 


[  Rubrica J 


Carlos  grande 
[  Rlibrica] 


e 

por  los  ausentes,   y  los   q.      no   saben 


Christobal  de  Cordova 


f  Rtibrica] 


-148- 


APPENDIX  A 

TRANSLATION] 


Don  Domingo  del  Rio:   Chris total  de  Cordova,  Ygnacio  del 
Razo ,  Lucas  Flores,  Juaquin  del  Rio,  Mathias  del  Rio, Man- 
uel Flores,  Marcos  Hernandez,  Miguel  Ramos,  Francisco  Ramos, 
Juan  Joseph  Q;uiros  y  Baldes,  Joaquin  Venites,  Manuel  Del- 
gado,  Juan  Antonio  Flores,  Joseph  Joaquin  de  Estrada, 
Christobal  Perez,  Simon  de  Aragon,  Manuel  de  la  Cruz,  Dom- 
ingo Diego  de  Acosta,  Manuel  de  Acosta,  Joseph  Ponziano 
Trejo,  Francisco  Losoia,  Francisco  Antonio  Guerrero,  Joseph 
Candido  de  San  Miguel,  Manuel  de  Alcala,  Manuel  de  Villa- 
franca,  Juan  de  Aranhula,  J-uan  Joseph  de  Cordova,  all  of 
us  officers  and  men  of  the  detachment  of  this  royal  pres- 
idio, with  due  respect,  place  ourselves  at  your  feet  hy 
means  of  this  memorial  to  state  that  His  Majesty  (May 
God  guard  fhimj)  has  allotted  to  each  memher  of  this  com- 
pany for  his  needs  six  pounds  of  gunpowder  per  year.   In- 
asmuch as  this  garrison  has  earned  the  [gunpowder]  due  it 
for  the  f  year  J  just  ended,  which  is  one  h-andred  eighty- 
six  pounds,  we  humhly  "beg  Your  Excellency  in  view  thereof 
to  order  the  necessary  [amount]  issued  so  that  Don  Manuel 
de  Cozuela,  our  representative,  a  resident  and  merchant  of 
that  city,  can  receive  it  and  hold  it  there  for  Don  Angel 
de  Martos  y  Navarrete,  our  governor  and  captain  general, 
in  order  that  the  instructions  that  his  lordship  gave  him 
to  the  effect  that  the  [gunpowder  3  should  he  transported 
to  this  presidio,  as  soon  as  possible  and  at  the  most  oppor- 
tune moment,  may  he  carried  out. 

May  Our  Lord  make  the  important  life  of  Your  Excellency 
flourish  to  its  utmost  greatness  for  many  years,  as  we  im- 
plore Him, 

Royal  Presidio  of  San  Agustin,  January  2,  1762. 

domingo  del  rio 

[  Rubric  | 

Christoval  de  Cordova 

f  Rubric  j 

CO 

fran   Antonio  gerero 

fRubric.  i^-  ^-^ 

-149- 


mm 


fV>«^*    O*^' 


.>^- 


45*<»- 


^^^ 


■tti 


HANDBOOK   FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

I  TRANSCRIPTION] 

to 
En  Cujnplim       Con  el   oficio   o7n  de  V.    S.    fha  27  de 

0  0 

Julio  p.  p.   en  que  me  ordena  averiguar  ciertos  particu- 
lares  relative  al  Casamiento  y  Caracter  de  Elis  Bean  he 
tornado  la  declaracion  de  los  Yndividuos  sobre  la  materia 
incluido  Con  este,  Uno  de  dhos  Yndividuos  Martin  Allen 
es  habitante  de  esta  Colonia  y  hombre  respetable  y  honor- 
able y  el  otro  Sterling  C.  Robertson  es  un  Anglo  Americano 
del  Estado  de  Tenesf  hombre  muy  respetable  y  bien  Cono- 

cido. 

Iv 
Como  la  familia  de  Bean  vive  sobre  el  Rio  de  los  // 

Nechez  Cinquenta  leguas  de  aqui  no  he  podido  hallar  aqui 

muchos  hombres  que  tiene  Conocimiento  de  el  Motivo  por  que 

no  he  tornado  mas  declaraciones  sobre  la  materia. 

Dios  y  Libertad 

Sanfelipe  de  Austin  28  de  Agosto  de  1Q26 
Estevan  F.  Austin 


to 

Sor  Gefe   del  Departam 

C  Jos6  Antonio  Saucedo 


[  Rllbricaj 


jL.S.j 


-152- 


APPENDIX  A 

(TEAHSLATION] 

In  compliance  with  your  official  order  dated  last 
July  27,  in  which  (Your  Lordship^  orders  me  to  investi- 
gate certain  matters  relative  to  the  marriage  and  charac- 
ter of  Ellis  Bean,  I  have  taken  the  depositions  of  two 
persons  in  regard  to  the  matter  set  forth  therein.   One 
of  the  aforesaid  persons,  Martin  Allen,  is  a  settler  in 
this  colony,  and  a  respectahle  and  honest  man;  the  other. 
Sterling  C.  Robertson,  is  an  Anglo-American  from  the 
state  of  Tennessee,  a  very  respectable  and  well  known  man. 

Iv 

Since  Bean's  family  lives  on  the  //Nechez  River, 
fifty  leagues  from  here,  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  here 
many  men  who  have  knowledge  of  him;  for  this  reason,  I 
have  not  taken  more  depositions  on  .the  matter. 

God  and  Liberty. 

San  Felipe  de  Austin,  Au^st  28,  1826. 

Estevan  F.  Austin 

J  Rubric  j 

Citizen  Jose  Antonio  Saucedo, 

Chief  of  the  Department. 

rL.S., 


-153- 


HANDBOOK  FOR  TRANSLATORS  OF  SPANISH  HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS 

APPENDIX  B 


Specimens  of  handwriting  from  the  Iberian  to  the 
italics  of  the  nineteenth  century  are  here  presented  to 
show  the  development  of  the  Spanish  hand.   Specimens 
nximbers  2-6,  8,  and  11,  were  taken  from  the  Handbook  of 
Greek  and  Latin  Palaeography  by  Edward  Maunde  Thompson; 
the  others  were  taken  from  Manual  de  Paleografia  Diplo- 
mat ica  Espanola  de  los  Siglos  XII  al  XVII  by  Don  Jesus 
Mun6z  y  Rivero. 


-154- 


AJUIUJ  kKQRJCJ        RUNJRM     MREJ      ARERCJ 

Iberian 


IDALL\ELVCOSVBIM 

FLOMBVS'ETDVLCIA.D 

l\MQ:lBAl"DICTOPA.R 

IDALIAE   LUCOS   UBI    McOLLISj 
FLORIBUS  ET  DULCI   AD 
lAMQUE   IBAT   DICTO  PARcENSj 

Roman   Square   Capitals 


S«lHONiKSQ.NiUUti)»M»5\UftlKA!U5K 

NON   ILLIUM  NOSTRI    POSSUNT   MUTARE   LABOcRESj 
NEC    SI    FRiaORIBUS  MEDIIS.       HEBRITMQUE    BIBAMfUSj, 
ilTHONIASQUE   NIVES.    HIEMS    SUBEAMUS  AtQUOSAEj. 
NEC    SI    CUM    40RIENS.    ALTA    LIBER  ARET   IN   ULcMOj. 

Roaian  Rustic   Capitals 


qUJ50KlX>0£< 
fUlXILCMdCS? 

TellxRcsoUxr 

quo5e>KU<T» 


QUI  BONA  NEC 
PUTARE  NEC  Ap 
PELLARE  30LEAT 
QUOD  EARUM 
RERUM  VIDE  cATURj 

Roman  Uncial 


dam  Maclohoem  j^Jei  e  r  re 

fl>ircopirnGiMumiwwoccrJc 
Ktan>hSoHadfilnlocjiMTriCo(5 


DAMNATIONEM  FIDEI  ESSE 

TE  ABOLETUR  PER  ALTERAM 

RURSUS  ABOLENDA  EST  CUcIUSj 

cLINjaUAM  NON  AD  FALSILOQUIUM  COEtaiSTI , 

Roman  Seai<-Unolal 


6. 


Viif^*^ 


^'if 


QUANTUM  SUPRA   SCRIPTO  EMPTORI    INTERFUERIT 
VANCIPATIONIQUE  REI    SUPRA   SCRIPTAE   DOLjUMj 
QUE  ESSE  VI   liETU  ET  CIRCUMSCRIPcTIONE  j 
UNCUS  SUPERIUS  DESIONATIS   SIPI    SUPRA    SCRIPTUS 


Roman   Cursive 


7. 


+IHHOKlHit)HICOHSraA 
TAKUSlASCTtMAir 

IHCAPUC^MrPflUl^ 
(JViAPRlUSAHHorUf 

IN   NOMINE  DcOMIjNI    CONSECRA 
TA   ECLESIA    ScANjCTcAjE  MARIE 
IN   CATOLICO   DIE  PRIDIE 
IDUS  APRIUS  ANNO    FELI 
CITER  PRIMO  REONI    DjOMljNI 
NOSTRI    QLORIOSISSIMI  FL 
RECCAREDI   REGIS  ERA 
DCXXX 

Vlslgothlc   Capital 


e. 


SUNT  NOVA.      TE3TAMENTUM 

AUTEM    NOVUM.      IDEO    NUNCUPATUR. 

OUIA   INNOVAT.,    NON    ENIM   ILLUM 

DISCUNT  NISI   HOMINES   RENOVATI 

EX  VETU3TATE  ?ER   ORATIAli  ET  PERTI 

Vl8l(50thlc   Uncial 


9. 


QUIA   NON  ERIT  LICENTIA  EPj  IS  jCtOjPIS   ScANjCcTjIS 
IN   UNUM   CONVEMIRE  NISI   ETKPORE 
SUPRA   DICTI    IfcTERATORIS    IPSE  ENIM 

VlBlgothlc  Mlnlecule 


ic. 


Vlsigothio   Cursive 


11. 


C?Cubcmb:c<3L-prA.ru.>n  ^uucouiumpA.r 

TiSLncaier^ei  m  1  ra.cc4.lo  idquodip/^ 
COT^<*.r  uertc4.r^^ccc^\imur^  Hon 

EX  UBERIBUS    CAPRARUM  AUT   OVIUM  PAS 
TORUM  MANU   PRAESSIS.      LONGA   LINEA 
COPIOSI    LACTIS   EFFLUERE.      PUEP ,    SUR 
REXIT   INCOLOMIS.      NOS   OBSTIIPEFACTI 
TANTAE   REI    MIRACULO.       ID    QITOD    IPSA 
COGEBAT  VERITAS   FATEBAMUR .      NON 

Caroline  Mlniecule 


12, 


r<v^oa 


Sepanqntos  eeta  cartauleren  e  oyeren  Como  nos  don 

Sancho  porla  gracla  de  dlos  Rey  de  Castlella 

de  Toledo  de  Leon  de  Oalllrla  de  Seullla  de  Cordo 

ua  de  Murcla  de  Jahen  e  del  algarbe  Por  fazer  blen  e 

merced  a  las  duennas  del  Monesterlo  de  Santo  domlngo 

de  Madrit  e  por  que  vleraos  carta  del  Rey  don  alfoneso 

nueetro  padre  que  dloe  peraone  que  lee  dlo  en  esta  razon 

Prlvlleglos 


13. 

/>      '    1/   A/       ^=— -^ 

Don  Sancho  por  la  graoia  da  Dloe  Rey  de  Caetiella  de  Toledo 
de  Leon  de  Oallisia  de  Seuilla  de  Cordoua  de  Murcia  de 
Jahen  e  del  Algarbe  a  loa  fazedoree  de  los  padronee  de 
los  peohos  e  a  los  que  fueren  cogedoree  e  sobreoogedoree 
en  liadrlt  Salute  gracia  Sepadee  que  por  faeer  blen  e 
(ceroed  a  los  duenos  del  monesterio  de  Santo  doningo  de 
Uadrlt  que  toue  por  blen  que  ouiessen  cadanno  un  zapatero 

Albalaes 


14. 

-tW<-«.y  M«».<i»  fn.Are     jJfcl-*-  lU-*.**.^  a^*'-<*u^  ^«*^»»w«^«L, 

Co  t  )-«■  Ia  f  «>»-  (*  *5*^£^  'f^  ***"  ^^  **  *^**'  y  **•'■  ^**^  ***  *^ 


el  orden  de  Cytele  embia  sue  embaxadores  a  nueetro 
muy  Sancto  padre  eobre  algunoe  agraulos  que  en  eesa 
corte  le  son  fechos  y  porque  eeta  orden  ee  tal  que  no  es 
razon  que  sea  prejudlcada  st-reulmos  a  nueetro  .-nuy  sancto 
padre  al  colleglo  de  los  ReuerendislKOS  cardenales  qule 
ran  remedlar  loe  dlchoe  agrauios  a  Vuestra  Reverendls 
slma  paternldat  muy  aff ectuosamente  rogamos  que  per 
contemplazlon  nuestra  qulera  trabajar  en  todo  lo  que  loe 

Itallca 


15. 

arpot)  \  s\)  o  o  o>ovSp  o  ootiiopeilrxjbo 

gcvr  Lo  S  t>cb  bo  S  quo.  fi3 1  eron  S  us  cN-n 
t «  ces  oze  s  ap  lOtJclaiglesiam  a  s\  cv  s 
aueno  f\jLer«Tiftcba.Sc\.pio^clcci.5le 
fu\po^gaerLla.slosr)ere6eros6€,U 
qaelcs.S  h'so  en otvlcuL^les  to. , — , 

argoblBpo  o  oblepo  o  otro  perlado 
de  eancta  ygleela  sea  tenudo  de  pa 
gar  loe  debdoe  que  fizleron  sub  an 
teoeeoree  a  pro  de  la  Iglesla  mas  lae 
que  no  fueren  fechae  a  pro  de  la  Igle 
ela  paguenlae  loe  herederoe  del 
que  lae  flzo  e  non  la  Iglesla 

Redonda 


16. 


muerU:  o  enram^a'D  Anraan'oa. 
Za  que-  e?  ferbapOTTnatibapue 
bala  aque\  queU  f\5obaTaotry  o 
mena\a.parafvf^  qti\<ier  eeU  que 
es  fechabeotrasiaranoulapue-ba 

Donaciones  fazense  en  dos  ma 

neras  o  por  manda  en  razon  de 

muerte  o  en  eanldad  eln  manda 

La  que  es  fecha  por  manda  pue 

da  la  aquel  que  la  flzo  dar  a  otry  o 

retenerla  para  el  si  qulsiere  e  la  que 

ee  fecna  de  otra  gulsa  non  la  pueda 

Alemana 


17, 


n 


Nob  el  Rey  e  la  Reyna  de  Caetllla  de  Leon  de 

aragon  de  Italia  de  Oranada  offrezemoe  Cabi 

s 
a  voB  loe  Juezee  e  Justs   de  las  Clbdades  de  Valencia 

Cortesana 


18. 


el  senor  Llcencia 
to  Sanchez  Del  con 
blnlense  De  co 
rexidor  en  Madrid 
Lo  proveyo  al  once 
De  febrero  De  Mill  y 
Sale  clentOB  y  ventl  Dos  anos 
Pro ce sal 


APPENDIX  C 


The  lists  of  letters  presented  in  the  following  pages 
may  serve  to  identify  individual  letters  used  in  Spain 
and  her  colonies  from  the  twelfth  through  the  nineteenth 
centuries.   Lists  numbers  1,  2,  and  3  were  taken  from 
Manual  de  Paleograf fa  Diplomdtica  de  los  Siglos  XII  al 
XVII  hy  Don  Jesiis  Mun6z  y  Rivero.   The  letters  shown  in  the 
other  lists  were  traced  from  original  manuscripts  in  the 
Spanish  Archives  [Bexar  Archives)  .of  the  University  of 
Texas  "by  tracing  a  complete  alphabet  for  every  tenth  year 
from  1750  to  1850. 


^168- 


1 

1.    Capitals:    12th-17th  centurlee. 
12th                    13th,    14th,   15th 

16th-17th 

A 

KS. 

AXA  JllV 

1 

B 

5 

B 

A. 

ry.>  i.  «.  >^ 

C 

c 

<r  c  <r 

B. 

6  s 

D 

i)S!D 

^  ^*fc, 

C. 

c  -e 

E 

re  e 

e  <t  <if^6  A  «A 

D. 

^^  ^ 

F 

frf 

rf:f^ 

E. 

0  <i  6  r 

G 

G^C 

Ce^iT'  (f 

F. 

//^ 

H 

U  ^h 

T)  k  ^  Vi 

a. 

tf  ^5- 

IJ 

^  f 

I J 

H. 

f  Tf  ^  f/ 

K 

H 

k 

I.J. 

115 \'^ 

L 

L  1 

L     2. 

Sfj^  L 

U 

r\  <n 

«r  0? 

oU  zu. 

1 

i 

N 

uv^ 

nfj3/   ^ 

jr 

' 

0 

o 

O    A 

e  o 

1 

P 

TT 

Mr 

^? 

1 

4 

<v^ 

1  .)  3  a  Q^ 

<L 

R 

T^R 

K  Tl  »c  V  U  ^  2* 

if  4^cfe7t 

S 

s- 

5  ;s"^«"Cr 

e  tr^' 

1 

T 

Ttt 

c  X 

r  :ir 

U 

\i 

u. 

O.     \J 

V 

s 

^ 

ty   V 

X 

y 

ypi 

OC^JHT 

Y 

^^ 

^^ 

7   V 

1 

Z 

X 

X 

*  r 

1 

2.    Snail   letters:    12th-l4th   centuries. 
12th  13th 


14  th 


A 

•^  f^ 

»>>•«■  «w 

*    e.   cc    ci.  ;i 

B 

\  V 

u 

I.  G   a 

0 

c 

c    c 

c    c     «. 

D 

AS 

a  s  §  '^ 

b  *5  a  9>^ 

E 

e   e 

e   e-  e- 

c   e    e- 

F 

n 

^    ^// 

J    ^^^ 

a 

^s 

;^^<jr 

IJ    CJ^<:^-^ 

H 

V7    W 

^  ht- 

^     )i^ 

w 

^  1 

"■  J 

^      »      I 

K 

k 

k 

W 

L 

I 

I  ee 

I    Q.  c 

M 

m  n^ 

TVV   Vrv 

WA.;^ 

N 

n  t7 

fX    t;    v«. 

^  *7 

0 

o 

o 

a     o 

P 

P 

PJ' 

t  j'    J? 

Q 

«\ 

1  J5  3 

«^    J  O 

R 

r    a. 

Y    X    Y 

^  r  r  rt- 

S 

r  & 

f/f /^  ^ 

M/<^  ^ 

T 

r 

* 

■c:     ^     -t 

U 

u 

««.    4<k. 

W 

V 

'^ 

V 

t^    i 

X 

X  X 

?»«^ 

?^?^ 

Y 

r 

>^ 

>*   ^'(y 

Z 

*^ 

?^ 

^l 

i 

3.    Snail   letters:    15th-17th  oenturies. 
15tb                                        16th 

17  th 

k 

«:  «^  >«  «<  c/t 

c  %c  A  «.  Jl   <c 

O.     4, 

6 

I  c  e  c 

6  e  >« 

&       ^ 

C 

c    .^ 

*  -« 1?  -d 

e-t  -c  T^  « 

D 

s  ^^  r^^ 

«9i-«^  Jb»^ 

A  rS-S  -a  «^ 

S 

t  e  ••  t 

C  •<.  eOu  * 

e  e  -e   «   ^ 

1     F 

f  (fJf 

/^   f 

/// 

a 

tries' 

i^-e  ^ 

^<?^ 

H 

M/^ 

il:f/< 

^  J,  ifl 

U 

M  ^ 

/  *^>- 

^zr^j- 

I 

k. 

7 

I    £-«  -€ 

6  -^^  1.  i  -€ 

I   t^  ^  L 

M 

»*v 

»w  rww 

nnx.   -*!, 

H 

*\ 

w  -w 

>v  -rv    >t. 

0 

0  •« 

©.•-we. 

O     (2     v9     i' 

P 

pr -a- 

p  rr  '^^ 

-if^r 

Q 

^  J  6 

\   1  «9  ^  OC5 

§.^      1 

R 

».^tH•/^ 

r     X    r    t     X    X 

•X  X  -z  T- 

B 

f    5    C  <«. 

f  j»f  c  «^ 

j  «t  1  f  -tr 

* 

«  X  •«^>: 

4  "V.  2.  <=  r 

^    6    ^  ^  -3. 

V 

•^V4A> 

WK    '»V  -NA. 

c^   -u. 

V 

V%    4 

-^  •>>, 

■f'  '\i    -o 

X 

2'/2«"C 

nf»T^2^ 

^'ey^'^ 

Y 

ycy^  e/ 

yz^vif 

t  Cf 

Z 

li^ 

in 

5  3  i.; 

4.    Capitals:    18th,    19th   c 
18th   century 

enturiee. 

lyth  century 

A 

^^ 

A 

r  a  rd/ 

B 

s 

B 

^      0 

C 

c/ ^  ^ 

C 

e 

D 

p  ^  (n> 

D 

9 

E 

^££i'^crc 

E 

'  '6 

F 

cfjj"  /-^ 

F 

J"    y-      \ 

a 

^^  J    f  p  G 

G 

f  ^        i 

H 

/^^ 

H 

I 

y 

I 

5.    Capitals:    18th,    19th 
18th  century 

centuries. 

19th  century 

J 

y)  9  J  J-  ?r 

J 

c^^ 

K 

K 

L 

/S  1 

L 

^(\jy 

U 

/^cM 

M 

:^    m 

N 

A^  JC  (k 

N 

-jr- 

0 

0   0 

0 

o 

P 

fj>  ^  ^ 

P 

T  (ff 

(i 

G   ^2 

0 

S   J 

R 

^  ^^  ^  Jl 

R 

fi     z 

6.    Capitals:    18th,    19th  oenturles. 
18th  century                                                       igth  centurv 

8 

J"  ^  iS  y) 

8 

s   y   -^ 

T 

'f  ^  X  G/ 

T 

3- 

U 

V  ^ 

U 

^    ^ 

V 

^  rr    V  J^ 

V 

^  /  -    y 

X 

X 

3c                    ! 

1 

Y 

^  ^ 

Y 

y    ^          ! 

Z 

Z 

Z 

X      ^ 

_^ 

I 

7.    Small    letters;    IBth, 
18th  century 

19th 

oentvirles. 

19th  century 

A 

a 

A 

CxJt 

B 

iy 

B 

f 

C 

c 

C 

- 

D 

^     3     ^ 

D 

?) 

£ 

C     <2x 

E 

<i,      £ 

F 

X/// 

F 

/  / 

(J 

<  5}   3 

a 

J 

H 

/f      /      ^ 

H 

k 

I 

c 

I 

8.  Small  letters:  18th, 
18th  century 

19th 

centuries . 

19th  century 

J 

/  ^ 

J 

/ 

JL 

K 

L 

/    i    I 

L 

^        ^ 

U 

an.       -?>V 

H 

>ri. 

N 
0 

n.         'Kt 

N 

'n 

o 

0 

»- 

P 

f     / 

P 

/ 

Q 

f    e 

^ 

t 

R 

^     -%-       ^ 

R 

r       ^ 

9.  Small  letters:  18th,  19th  centuries. 
18th  century  19th  century 


3 

f         J          ^ 

s 

<»                J- 

T 

f         "l         -fr 

T 

^             t 

U 

c^        2/       V 

U 

U.                   V 

V 

iT 

V 

XT 

X 

X          >3          X 

X 

y- 

Y 

y  J 

Y 

i 

Z 

}    ' 

Z 

z 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

I.   Articles 

Adams,  E.  W. ,  "Translation  and  the  Translator,"  English 
Review.  Vol.  43  (October,  1926),  pp.  413-418. 

Alvord,  Clarence  W. ,  "Planning  the  Publication  Work  of 
Historical  Agencies,"  American  Historical  Association 
Report,  Vol.  1  (1913),  pp.  217-224. 

American  Historical  Association,  Suggestions  for  the 
Printing  of  Documer-ts  Relating  to  American  History. 
Historical  Manuscripts  Commission,  Vol.  1  (1905) ,  pp. 
45-48,  Washington:   Government  Printing  Office. 

Anglo-American  Historical  Committee,  "Report  on  Editing 
Historical  Documents,"  Bulletin  of  the  Institute  of 
Historical  Research,  Vol.  1  (June,  1923),  pp.  6-25. 

"Report  on  Editing  Modern  Historical  Documents,"  Ibid. , 

Vol.  3  (June,  1925),  pp.  13-26. 

Arneson,  Edwin  P. ,  "The  Early  Art  of  Terrestrial  Measure- 
ment and  Its  Practice  in  Texas,"  Southwestern  Histor- 
ical Quarterly.  Vol.  XXIX,  pp.  79-97. 

Austin,  Mary,  "Geographical  Terms  from  the  Spanish," 
American  Speech,  (October,  1933). 

Bello,  Andres,  "Unif ormidad  de  Medidas  i  Pesos.   Base  del 
Sistema  Metriko  Dezimal.   Istoria  de  su  Origen  i  Ben- 
tajas  ke  Presenta,"  Obras  Completas,  Vol.  8,  pp.  337-352. 

Belloc,  H.  ,  "On  Translation,"  New  Statesman.  Vol.  15 
(May  15,  1920),  pp.  164-165. 

Belloc,  H. ,  "On  Translation,"  London  Mercury.  Vol.  10 
(June,  1924),  pp.  150-156. 

Bendikson,  L. ,  "Cycle  of  Ultra-Violet  Light  Sources  for 
Various  Uses,"  Library  Journal .  Vol.  61  (January,  1936), 
pp.  16-17. 

Bendikson,  L. ,  "Phototechnical  Problems:   Some  Results 
Obtained  at  the  Huntington  Library,"  Library  Journal, 
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I